Betrothed
by Neogirl
Summary: Kagome thinks that she has finally found the man of her dreams, but things go wrong when she finds out he's arranged to be married. Little does she know that Inuyasha's finance is even closer to her than she thinks.InuKag.
1. The Way We Are

Disclaimer: Inu and co are not mine

Betrothed

Chapter 1- The Way We Are

* * *

Kagome groaned when her peaceful slumber was cut short by a familiar buzzing noise. Delicate hands reached out and gave the contraption a hard thump. Her eyes opened ever so slightly, taking in her surroundings before she reopened them fully indicating that she was now awake.

Sitting up on her bed, she yawned softly and stretched her hands above her head. Kagome couldn't help but give a loud sigh of annoyance. It was once again Monday, her least favorite day of the week. She hated the fact that she had to wake up early for her chemistry class. She had classes almost all day on Monday, hardly giving her anytime to relax at all.

She was only twenty, in her opinion she didn't need any extra stress. When she had entered college she expected to go to parties, hang out with roommates all day and maybe date around. Not once had it crossed her mind the amount of work and studying she would have to do. She was now into her junior year and had learned the hard way, the amount of work she needed to do to simply get by.

"I see someone has finally woken up."

Kagome turned around and faced her roommate with a scowl settled on her face. Sango was already up and was holding two cups. Kagome stumbled out of bed and tossed the sheets that were bundled up around her feet aside.

Sango smiled cheerfully and handed a cup to Kagome. The girl smiled gratefully and took a small sip.

Sango had been her friend since her senior year in high school. They had agreed to go to collage together, hoping to help each other out on the way. To Kagome, Sango was like her big sister, she always took care of her and made sure she was on time for all of her classes.

"Arigato, Sango-chan," Kagome said finally and took in big gulps of the coffee until it was all gone. Kagome knew that she was already behind. If she weren't out of her dorm room in about twenty minutes she would be late, once again.

She rested the cup on a nearby table. She quickly grabbed a towel amongst the mess around her and ran out of the room, obviously heading to the female bathroom.

Sango watched her friend leave and shook her head. Kagome was almost, always late. This was her usual morning routine and Sango had gotten into the habit of bringing Kagome breakfast, or at least a cup of coffee before the girl arose, which would always be the same time, no matter how early she had to leave for class but she found it rather enjoyable to watch Kagome's expression every morning when she discovered she would be late.

Sango waked over to her bed and lay there quietly, the small cup of coffee cradled in her hands as she waited for Kagome to run inside once again, causing chaos.

* * *

Inuyasha was sitting, alone at a table in the quiet library. He lifted his hand slowly and stared at the watch. He couldn't help but grumble to himself.

'She's late, again,' the thought with annoyance.

He tapped his finger on the wooden table repeatedly until he received several angry looks from nearby studiers. He scowled at them but stopped, the act that seemed to be irritating others around him.

"Damn it, what's taking you so long?"

He gathered his books together and stuck his pencil behind his ear. It didn't seem like she was about to show up today. He was about to leave when the girl who he had been waiting for came running into the room.

Inuyasha sighed and sat back down in his chair. At least he knew that she didn't forget about him. For some strange reason that made him want to smile.

The girl found him rather quickly and slumped down on a chair next to him. Inuyasha glared at her but still allowed his golden eyes to take in her appearance. He could tell that she didn't make an attempt to look decent.

Her long raven locks were tied up in a messy bun but some strands were loose and scattered around her forehead. She wore an oversized gray T-shirt and a pair of washed out jeans.

"What took you so long to get here, wench?" Inuyasha asked.

The girl looked down at her lap, obviously embarrassed for her late and noisy entry. It then occurred to her what she had called him. All her shame vanished in an instant and she was soon very angry. She faced him with those chocolate-brown eyes of hers, ready to take him on.

"Will you stop calling me wench? I told you since last year that my name is Kagome. Ka-go-me!"

Inuyasha glared at her and gave his golden eyes a slight roll. Every time they met it was always like this. He had to admit that he enjoyed their spats. Kagome was as entertaining as his brother when he had one too many drinks.

The senior ignored the young girl sitting next to him and opened one of his large textbooks but he made sure to look at Kagome from the corner of his eye to see her reaction. Her look had to be the most amusing one that he had ever seen come upon her face. It was also rather cute as well. The way how her cheeks flushed when she looked at him always made him care for her more than he did already.

He would only admit to himself that he loved her. Almost everything about her, she was an attractive girl but had a feisty attitude. When he had met her at first, he had expected her to be shallow and uninterested in learning but she had proved him wrong. Her work seemed to be more important to her than almost anything else. It wasn't long before his feelings had changed from one of friendship to wanting something more from her but he never perused her for she seemed to have no interest in him whatsoever.

He was snapped out of his thoughts when Kagome poked his forehead with her pencil.

"Hey Yashie-kun, are you going to help me with this chemistry or not?"

* * *

Kagome was now grinning at him. The fact that she had called him Yashie-kun quickly faded away in his mind and he couldn't help but give her a smile.

Kagome stretched and leaned back lazily against the soft chair. Inuyasha rested his pencil on the table and gazed over at her. Her eyes were closed and she had let her hair down sometime during their studying.

Kagome cracked one eye open and had managed to catch Inuyasha staring at her but he didn't do so for long. As soon as he met her eyes, he jerked his head away. Kagome frowned and continued to look at him. She had caught him staring at her many times before but never bothered to talk to him about it, thinking that it was not very important. She would have talked to him about it before but he had always had trouble expressing his feelings.

Kagome shook her head and pulled her hair up into a bun once again. Inuyasha's golden eyes were still focused on the table.

"Well that's all the studying that I can do for tonight," she announced to her friend and gave a slight yawn.

Inuyasha closed his book in response, letting her know that he had done enough as well. She couldn't help but watch as he gathered his things together. His eyes were still not meeting hers. Kagome decided that it would be best to start a conversation instead.

"Hey Yashie-kun," she began. This caught his attention immediately. She knew that he hated that nickname that she had created for him. She tried not to laugh at his reaction and continued, "I'm hungry, do you want to go and get something to eat with me?"

He seemed to consider her offer for a moment before nodding slowly. She caught the small glint in his eyes and stared intently.

"What is it?" she asked soon after, a hint of suspicion in her voice.

"Well, Kaggie since you invited me, that means it's a date, ne, so you pay," he smirked and folded his hands behind his head, waiting for Kagome's reaction.

Her look at first was rather blank. It took her a moment to really consider what he had said. She groaned and sank down lower into the chair. She had made a terrible mistake. Knowing Inuyasha, he would most likely want to go to an expensive place and she really couldn't afford to use much of the money that she had for the month.

"I changed my mind actually," Kagome replied and gathered her books together. Her stomach seemed to disagree with her because it gave a loud rumble at that moment.

Inuyasha couldn't help but chuckle at her sorry attempt in trying lying to him.

"How bout I take you out this time, and you pay me back later," he offered and smiled arrogantly at her. Kagome closed her eyes. Her stomach gave another growl.

"By the sounds my stomach is making, I think I have no choice in the matter," Kagome sighed. Inuyasha hid his amusement and stood up rather quickly.

"Well hurry up wench I'm starving!"

* * *

Kagome sighed with satisfaction when she took a large bite out of a sandwich. It didn't take her long to take another bite, stuffing her face with food.

Inuyasha raised one eyebrow as he watched his friend attack the food before her. Kagome stopped her attack to glance up at Inuyasha. She caught him staring at her again.

"What?" Kagome asked and grinned at him. Inuyasha shook his head.

"Nothing. Did you eat for the day?" he asked. Kagome leaned back lazily against the chair, and pushed her raven locks out of her face.

"I drank coffee," she answered and put on a thoughtful expression. "That's about it."

Inuyasha stared at her for a moment, before pushing his halfway eaten sandwich towards her. Kagome looked at him with wide eyes.

"You need to eat that more than I do."

Kagome was in absolute shock. Inuyasha never passed up a meal. Never! She looked down at the plate, then back at her friend.

"Are you serious?" she paused and sniffed the meal before her. "Did you spit in it or something?"

Inuyasha scowled at her. "What, I can't do anything nice now?"

Kagome looked down and the sandwich, then at his face again. He was looking at her with those amazing golden eyes of his.

She hesitantly allowed her hand to reach for the morsel. Just to tease him, she sniffed it at first and then took a cautious nibble. She was quite pleased when Inuyasha frowned at her. She held back a laugh that was waiting to burst out of her.

She decided to stop her actions and took a large bite. It didn't take her long to finish both sandwiches. The only evidence that something edible was there, were crumbs.

Inuyasha raised one eyebrow and placed his hands behind his head. Kagome looked up and smiled at him when she was finished. Inuyasha was about to give a witty remark when the tone coming from his phone stopped him.

He slid the phone out of his pocket and flipped it open to answer it.

"Yeah…"

Kagome watched curiously as his eyes lost their usual sparkle and his lips turned into a thin line. His eyes, now seemly mustard yellow, looked down at the table.

"I'll be there. I promise… I know it's kind of far away but I won't forget this time. Yes…. Okay. I promise. Trust me…. See you then."

He quickly flipped his phone shut leaving a puzzled Kagome sitting across from him. For a while Inuyasha sat quietly at the table, his eyes staring off into space. Kagome looked around uncomfortably before she decided she might as well snap him out of it.

She picked up a small napkin, rolled it into a ball and threw it at him. That seemed to do the trick for Inuyasha blinked a few times, allowing his eyes to gain back their normal shine. Kagome propped her head on her hands.

"Who was that?" she asked drew circles on the table with her tiny fingers. Inuyasha paused for a moment. He seemed to be trapped in his own thoughts.

"No one," he replied with a small shrug.

* * *

A/N: hey everyone. I'm starting a new story here. I know what ya thinking, this first chap ain't good but what I really wanted to do is actually explain Inu and Kag's relationship first. So um.. if I don't get at least 3 reviews, I'm not continuing. So please r/r! I'm begging you. Lol… jk. 


	2. I Want To But I Can't

Disclaimer: Inuyasha is not mine.

Betrothed

Chapter 2- I want to but I can't….

* * *

Kagome grumbled to herself as she attempted to fit the key into the hole. For some reason it wasn't going in and her hands were already slippery which was making the task even harder for her. The young woman swore before she sighed in defeat. She raised her fist slowly and pounded on the mahogany door.

Kagome could hear the padding of footsteps, coming from inside the dorm room. A few seconds later, the door was opened revealing a pale looking figure with a large mass of messy, dark brown hair. Sango blinked for a moment before her mind registered that it was her roommate. She also took in her friend's appearance. She simply couldn't help but let out a small giggle.

Kagome glared at her best friend before she took a threatening step forward. Sango immediately stopped her laughter when she caught the fire dancing in Kagome's chocolate, brown eyes.

"Just let me in," Kagome muttered. Sango nodded and opened the door wide enough for her friend to enter the messy room.

Kagome immediately dropped the large textbook on her desk, which was already covered in papers and kicked the defenseless furniture.

"So, I'm thinking that studying went well," Sango said lightheartedly.

The first thing that had caught Sango's eyes when Kagome was at the front door was the fact that she was drenched in water. Her roommate also had mud splattered all over her plain, gray shirt and some specks were also on her face.

Kagome scoffed at Sango's assumption. She pulled off her oversized T-shirt and slumped down on the red carpet, not bothering to get a towel. Sango seemed to notice her friend's annoyance and sat down next to her soaked body, handing her a towel in the process.

"What happened this time, Kagome-chan?"

Kagome sighed to herself and ran the towel down her wet stomach. To feel a little dry made her feel much better.

"Oh nothing really. Inuyasha decided to take me out and we go to this restaurant and ate like normal. He then got this phone call and didn't tell me who it was. After that he got all distant with me and we ended up walking around in circles, but the best was yet to come!" Kagome said with sarcasm dripping from her voice, "It began to rain and well, since none of us had a car we had to wait in the rain because it had no shelter. The highlight of the evening was when I tripped and fell into a puddle full of mud, and I brought Inuyasha down with me."

Sango held back her laugh. She knew it really wasn't the time to be laughing at Kagome's sudden bad luck. Kagome was now quickly drying her wet, muddy hair with the fluffy towel that Sango had given her.

"Well, sounds like fun!" Sango replied jokingly. Kagome glared the young woman sitting down next to her. "I know that behind all that anger that you are really happy you spent the night with Inuyasha."

Kagome stopped her actions and stared at Sango. Her longtime friend was now giving her what Kagome had named the 'You know I'm right smile'. Kagome blushed at the thought of her actually enjoying the time spent between her and Inuyasha. There had indeed been a lot of laughs that night and Kagome didn't regret those moments when she saw the laughter return to his eyes.

"When are you going to tell him, Kagome-chan?"

Kagome looked down at her muddy toes. She knew exactly what Sango was talking about. Sango could read Kagome better than most of the people she knew and when it came to Inuyasha, Sango simply wouldn't let the topic go, but Kagome knew that her friend made a point.

"I…. I don't know if I can," Kagome mumbled. Sango shook her head at her friend's stubbornness.

"You know Kagome, a guy like Inuyasha doesn't come around everyday. He's graduating this year. At least think about this; after he leaves collage, he'll be gone and if you really want to keep him with you, you'll have to tell him."

Kagome looked up at Sango with a look of disbelief but her friend seemed to want none of it for she had already nestled herself under the comforter.

"I…" Kagome opened her mouth and then shut it almost right after. Sango obviously wasn't paying anymore attention to her. The twenty-year old' eyes caught sight of a picture on her bedside of both her and Inuyasha together.

Their cheeks were both pressed against each other, comically but both had managed to put on a goofy smile for the camera.

Kagome clenched her tiny hands into fists, as she debated whether or not telling Inuyasha how she felt would be the right thing to do. She let out a loud sigh and dropped once again on the floor.

'I can't… I just can't,' Kagome thought and glanced over once again at the picture, 'It would ruin things…'

* * *

Miroku awoke to the sound of someone knocking on his apartment door with much force. He grumbled before taking in his surroundings.

'How did I get on the couch?' he asked himself and scratched his head, allowing is mouth to let out a silent yawn. Miroku languidly rested both feet on the ground and threw the small sheet that covered his shirtless body across the room.

He didn't have long to collect himself, for once again the person pounded on the door. Miroku sighed and walked rather slowly to the door.

'Who the hell could that be, so early in the morning?' Miroku thought as he became more and more annoyed.

When he opened the door, he couldn't hide the surprised look on his face. One thing was certain, he definitely wasn't mad to see the two girls standing before him. All his tiredness seemed to have vanished and he put on his so-called 'seductive' smirk.

Sango smiled and hugged Miroku for a brief moment. The collage student smiled and patted Sango on her back before his hand slid down to rest on her backside, giving it a small pat as well.

Sango's face flamed up. Miroku pulled away to see her reaction. It got better every time. He smiled innocently at her, but his girlfriend wouldn't have it. Her fist connected with his face soon after.

"Ohayo gozaimasu!" Kagome said cheerfully from behind Sango and stepped into the apartment. It was usually filled with chaos during the day. She was surprised to find the place rather quiet.

"So what brings you sexy women here?" Miroku asked and slid his arm around Sango's waist. Kagome held up a paper bag that was filled with containers. Miroku raised one eyebrow, still not understanding what Kagome was talking about.

"You know, Miroku, your memory sucks!" Kagome joked and rested the heavy bag on what was supposed to be the dinning room table. It would have been extremely hard for one guess that it was really supposed to be used for eating on since it was covered with random objects from books, to jewelry.

"We brought lunch, baka!" Sango said and pulled herself away from Miroku, before taking a seat on the rather lumpy sofa while Kagome happily took out the containers.

"Lunch? What time it?" Miroku asked and yawned.

"It's eleven am," Sango said.

Kagome looked around the area that they were in. Miroku seemed to be the only one present. It was odd, because Inuyasha had a very good nose when it came to smelling food. It was rather shocking that he hadn't come out of his room.

"Oi, where is Inuyasha?" Kagome asked curiously and scanned the area.

"I haven't seen him, since he came home last night covered in mud," Miroku laughed and threw himself down on the couch, with his head partly on Sango's lap. Sango joined in on the laughter. Kagome was certain that she could hear Sango telling Miroku about her state as well.

The collage student shook her head headed to Inuyasha's room, leaving the couple alone. She really didn't want to explain the events from last night again. Kagome didn't want to really remember, since it took almost hours in the shower to get all of the dried mud out of her jet-black hair.

When Kagome arrived at the door of Inuyasha's room, she was surprised to see that it was partially open. She peeked in, but still could not spot anything.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome called out, and slowly pushed the wooden door open. She heard a small grunt, in response. The twenty year old, walked over to the bed, narrowly avoiding random objects on the ground, and placed her hand over the large bump which she assumed to be Inuyasha.

"Hey, wake up, Yashie-kun!" Kagome said and shook the body underneath the bed. This time he groaned but Kagome felt no movement. This further baffled her. She shook the lump once again but got the same reaction.

Kagome furrowed her eyebrows, as worry lines appeared on her forehead. Without thinking, Kagome grabbed the sheets off the sleeping figure. It was no doubt Inuyasha but he looked rather different.

"Inuyasha?" she once again called out to him. Golden eyes opened to stare directly into her light brown ones. Kagome instantly noticed how hazy they looked.

"Wench, what are you doing here?"

Kagome frowned at the slight croaking in his deep voice. Was he sick? Her hand involuntarily reached out, and rested itself on his clammy forehead. She could feel the heat radiating off his body instantly. She looked into his hooded eyes before she removed her hand with a swift movement.

"You're sick," Kagome said softly and sat down the bed.

"Stu…Stupid, I don't get sick!" Inuyasha retorted. He really didn't like they way Kagome was looking at him. Her eyes were so different from what he was used to seeing. The way she was looking at him, Inuyasha would have thought that he was dying.

Kagome hesitantly reached out and ran her through her friend's long, sliver locks. She pulled back when she suddenly felt hard particles entangled in the strands. She looked at her hand and dried mud on them.

"You didn't shower!" Kagome accused and glared at him. Inuyasha looked away. "Inuyasha, no baka!"

"I was gonna, but then I didn't feel to good so I rested for a while!" Inuyasha argued. Kagome's hard exterior immediately softened at Inuyasha's reason for still being covered in mud. She looked down at him. At least he had changed into something else or he would have been worse.

"I'll be back," Kagome whispered and slowly brushed her fingers along his forehead. She ignored both the heat coming from her cheeks and the wide-eyed look that she was now receiving from Inuyasha. She glanced at him once more before swiftly walking out of the bedroom.

Kagome walked over to the table, where she had left the containers and quickly moved them aside until she found the one, which she was looking for. Kagome looked around the room. It was strangely quiet, and empty.

"Sango-chan? Miroku?"

No response. Kagome shook her head. 'Thanks for leaving me here, guys,' Kagome thought and went over to the kitchen.

* * *

Inuyasha later woke up feeling rather dizzy. He raised a hand to his forehead, and felt a damp cloth. He looked around the room, trying to configure where he was. One look at his collection of pictures, on the other side of the room told him that he was in his apartment but it made him wonder, who had removed all the clothes on the ground and had put the cloth on his head.

"Hey."

Inuyasha looked around and saw Kagome coming into the room, holding a small tray. She rested it on Inuyasha's bedside before walking up to him. Her delicate hand reached out and rested itself firmly on his forehead.

"At least, you fever is gone," she said and slowly brushed some sliver hair out of his face. "Hungry?"

Inuyasha so badly wanted to reply with something witty but it had earlier occurred to him that Kagome had missed classes simply to take care of him. With that in mind, he knew that this was no time to be ungrateful. Instead he nodded slowly.

"Then I brought Ramen for you," Kagome said and rested the tray on the bed. She watched with wide eyes as Inuyasha sat up in such a speed, that no one would have guessed that he was ill and began attacking the meal before him.

Inuyasha could feel his body regaining energy every time the hot liquid slid down this throat. The feeling of dizziness was slowly disappearing. He removed the bowl from his lips and rested it down, now feeling fully recovered.

Inuyasha looked over at Kagome and found he still looking at him. The look on her face, however was much more different than it was before; a soft smile graced her features but what was most surprising to Inuyasha was the raw emotion in her eyes.

"Ka…. Kagome?"

The young woman stared right back into his golden eyes. He was slowly leaning closer towards her face. She suddenly felt his fingers gently caressing the side of her face. Kagome's eyes immediately slid close at the intimate touch. Even though she couldn't see, Kagome knew that Inuyasha was still leaning closer.

'Kami, he going to kiss me….'

Seconds seemed to turn into minutes as Inuyasha's head came closer to Kagome's. The collage student could now feel his long hair tickling her face, and his hot breath on her lips. Kagome grew impatient with the wait and moved her face forward, allowing her lips to crash into his.

Inuyasha sighed and moved his hand to the back of Kagome's head to bring her as close as humanly possible. He was finally getting what he wanted. Inuyasha had wanted to kiss Kagome ever since his eyes first took in the sight of her, a year ago.

The two friends both pulled away, staring at each other. Kagome raised up her fingers before grazing them over her lips. It was then it had really occurred to her.

'Oh God, I kissed Inuyasha and I didn't stop it!'

Kagome felt Inuyasha's thumb now rubbing against her cheek in such a soft manner that she inwardly prayed that he wouldn't stop. His hand had somehow made it down to her waist. She looked down, wanting to avoid his eyes but she was sent into further shock. How in the heck did she get on Inuyasha's lap?

She immediately scrambled to get off him. To her this was wrong. How could she make out with her best friend, and he was acting as if nothing happened. The sudden movement caused the bowl and the tray to fall off the bed with Kagome falling off soon after. Her face met the floor with a 'thud'.

"Ow!" Kagome mumbled and pushed her body up until she was in a sitting position.

The first thing she saw when she raised her head was Inuyasha's bright amber eyes staring at her. He was stooped down right beside her sitting body with his signature scowl on his face.

"You're stupid, you know that!"

"Eh?"

"Why'd you move? If you wanted to get away from me so badly then why didn't you say so wench? I would have let you go!"

Kagome blinked before she fully understood the meaning behind Inuyasha's sudden rant. She raised her head to meet his before reaching out her hand to touch his face but he stood up, seeming to anticipate her action.

"I didn't mean it in that way, Inuyasha," Kagome explained. "I never meant to insult you."

"Keh, insult?"

Inuyasha shook his head before he swept past Kagome, not bothering to give her a second glance. The girl sighed when she heard the door slam behind her. All her shame was gone and Kagome now felt like an idiot.

"Way to go, Kagome."

* * *

A/N: Omg thanks so much for the reviews everyone! I'm so happy now. At first I thought no one would like it…. But I guess some people actually do! Thanks again and I'll try to update in a while…school is keeping me so busy. Please, review!

Oh yeah, I forgot to say that inu and gang are all human, but they will still have their normal looks, except Inu won't have his doggie ears.

Neogirl


	3. Only Us

Disclaimer: Inuyasha doesn't belong to me

Betrothed

Chapter 3- Only Us

Who knew that one simple kiss, shared between two individuals could cause a drastic change in relationship? Kagome definitely hadn't expected it. The young woman's delicate fingers gently brushed against her lips. She could still feel the warmth of his lips on hers. What bothered her greatly was that she was craving to be kissed by Inuyasha again.

"I can't think like this," Kagome reminded herself. "Okay, Kagome, focus on the work before you!"

Kagome gripped the pencil in her hand tighter and glared at the page that she was staring at for the last hour. Her mind wasn't working right at the time. All the letters seemed to be swirling around her head and it was making her feel rather dizzy at the moment.

Kagome sighed and dropped the pencil unceremoniously on the large book that she was studying from. She'd had enough for the day. She let her body drop on the bed with a 'thud' and slowly ran her hands down her face.

"I desperately need some sort of fun," she whispered. She'd been a mess to the past two weeks. The last time Kagome actually encountered Inuyasha was two days after her embarrassing fall, off the bed. He didn't say much to her…

"Oi wench, I don't have much time right now. I'm studying for finals so I won't be able to meet you everyday, like before."

It was more than obvious that he was avoiding her. Kagome would only admit to herself that she was missing him greatly. Their teasing conversations always seemed to lessen the stress that she was going through from school.

'He won't even answer his phone,' Kagome thought depressingly. The young woman let out another exaggerated sigh, while pushing her raven locks away from her face.

She sat up slightly when something that sounded like small tapping against the door reached her ears. Kagome blinked and waited to see if she would hear the sound again.

Instead of the soft tapping, a loud bang disturbed the silence of the room. Kagome jumped before she fell back on the bed from the surprise.

"Open the freaking door, wench!"

Kagome's slightly opened mouth soon turned into a scowl as the recognition hit her. The collage junior 'huffed' loud enough for the person to hear before strolling calmly across the room. She made sure to take as long as humanly possible to open the door but was surprised when Inuyasha roughly pushed the door open from the outside, which had almost hit her in the face.

"Arigato for nearly damaging my face, Yashie-kun!" Kagome said mockingly, making sure that anger was evident in her voice.

"You quite welcome, Kaggie!" Inuyasha replied with equal amount of sarcasm as he walked into the dorm room.

Kagome watched rather curiously as Inuyasha dumped a small bag on Sango bed, before switching on the small television, and making sure that he was seated rather comfortably with his feet resting on a desk that was covered with text books and papers.

Inuyasha watched as Kagome walked towards him with the most interesting look on her face. Her eyebrows were raised slightly, to show her slight annoyance while her lips stuck out in a pouty manner, and her hands folded across her chest. Inuyasha noticed how cute she looked with the current expression. He had to restrain himself from smiling.

"What, wench?" he asked rudely. Kagome's frown deepened before she walked directly in front of the television blocking his view. Inuyasha's mouth opened slightly to let out a rude retort but Kagome beat him to it.

"Why are you here?" Kagome asked and bent over so her face could be leveled with his. Inuyasha scoffed and turned began to turn his head away, but Kagome seemingly predicted his action and tugged on a fistful of Inuyasha's long sliver stands.

Kagome ignored the obstinacies that flew out of his mouth and pulled on his hair harder, so she would get an answer from him.

"Miroku and Sango took over the stinking apartment and I got stuck here with you, jeez!"

Kagome released the locks from her hand and smirked at Inuyasha as he rubbed his abused head.

"Thank you."

"Keh, you didn't have to try and rip all my hair off!"

Her eyebrows shot up before she made a noise that sounded similar to a growl that a dog would make, and threw her body on the plush bed once more. Ignoring Inuyasha seemed to be the best solution at the time.

"What's the matter with you?"

Light brown eyes opened to look at the man sitting across the room. One of his eyebrows was raised, while his hands rested languidly behind his head.

Kagome closed her eyes and rolled over so that her back was facing Inuyasha. Using her fingers, she massaged her temples and sighed. Her head was pounding immense pain. Squeezing her eyes shut, Kagome tried to focus on other things, but the racket of coming from the television and from outside was making a simple task, next to impossible.

The weight on the bed, suddenly shifted, which made Kagome open her eyes, slightly. Instead of seeing the plain, white ceiling, her eyes were now viewing something much more attractive.

Inuyasha was hovering over her, with an odd look on his face. The girl swallowed rather loudly at the close contact, but boldly stared back into his golden eyes, as he examined her. His rather large hands reached out and removed her fingers from her temples, before pinning them down to the bed.

Kagome's cheeks flushed when it occurred to her that they were in a very intimate position at the time. Her mouth opened a little to say something but Inuyasha spoke first.

"You sick?" he asked gruffly. She felt his hot breath against her neck with every word he spoke. This simple action made Kagome's cheeks turn an even darker shade of red.

"I…. I…. I'm fine," she sighed. Kagome was glad that she had finally managed to get at least one sentence out. Tilting her head to the side, she stared at him with a slight glare. "The stupid TV is giving me a headache!"

Expecting a rather angry reply from the person above her, Kagome had already calculated what she would say in response.

Inuyasha sighed ran the tips of his fingers across her forehead. "I'm sorry."

"Well Yas…. You what?" Kagome stopped mid sentence and stared at him with baffled eyes. His soft exterior melted away quickly, and was replaced by his signature scowl once more.

"Don't make me say it twice, wench!"

"Inuyasha…"

"You're stressed. Idiot, if you needed help with anything, you could have just asked me!"

Kagome was utterly speechless, something that rarely happened. She hadn't expected, anything of the sort to come out of Inuyasha's mouth. The way in which he said it was indeed rude, but the words made her heart clench, in a way it never did before.

'Only with you, Inuyasha,' Kagome thought.

His eyes looked as if they were trying to read into her mind and soul. He was genuinely concerned about her.

'But this time, it almost seems different.'

His sliver strands were now tickling her face. Only then, that it occurred to her, that his head seemed to be coming closer, with every passing second. Her heart was now thumping loudly in her chest.

'I can't let this happen again! Gomen, Inuyasha!'

"Iie. Stop, now please," she whispered. Inuyasha's head movement ceased and his eyelids opened. Kagome turned her head away when she received the same look that he had given her after their first kiss.

"Hey…"

"Get off me," Kagome added quickly, not bothering to let him finish what he was about to say. It took a while, but Kagome finally felt Inuyasha's body weight move off her.

She'd dare not look at him for she knew that with one gaze into his eyes, that she would fall victim to him once again. All Kagome really wanted was to be responsible. To her, ruining a friendship over some mixed feelings was not worth the time.

Sitting up, she glanced over at Inuyasha to see him sitting at the edge of the bed, his back turned towards her. His drooping of his shoulders indicated to her that he was sighing.

Shaking her head, Kagome made a quick decision that it would be best to leave the room. The tension was building up with every passing second and she was not ready to deal with it yet.

Without saying anything, she slid off the bed and began rummaging around the room, looking for her slippers. She let out a 'ah' when she had found them and was about to sweep past Inuyasha, to leave the room but he caught her wrist.

"So that's what you're going to do every time something happens between us? Run away?"

Kagome didn't answer, or look at him, she tired to pull away instead but Inuyasha's grip on her hand was uncomfortably tight. Slowly, she looked back at him, to see his eyes looking at her in such a cold manner that it made her shudder. It didn't take long for Kagome's pride to kick in and she glowered at him.

"I'm not running away! I don't run away from my problems!" Kagome replied angrily and once again attempted to snatch her hand away but Inuyasha simply wouldn't budge. His look darkened before he forcefully pulled her towards him.

"If you don't run away, then why do you try to get away from me, every time something like this happens?"

The room remained silent. For approximately five minutes, Kagome attempted to come up with a suitable answer for Inuyasha's question. She had none. Her only defense was to once again, try and pull her wrist out of Inuyasha's tight grasp, but he wasn't ready to release her quite yet.

The girl shifted her, head to the side so she could no longer see his face. The simple action made Inuyasha pull Kagome towards him, until she stumbled and landed on top of his hard chest. Golden eyes stared into hers with so much emotion, that Kagome felt the need to admit her feelings to him right there.

"You can't answer, can you?" his voice was now a murmur.

Large hands reached out and rested themselves on either side of pale, soft cheeks. Once again, her face turned a lovely crimson. He pulled her head down until; their noses were touching each other.

"How do you truly feel?"

"I… I… Inuyasha we ca..."

He cut her off easily with a kiss. Kagome put up a struggle, before her body relaxed and she melted into his arms. It didn't last long. Kagome needed to breathe, so she pulled away, panting.

Her eyes opened to see Inuyasha staring at her with the gentlest expression that Kagome had ever seen, on his face. It was almost as if his eyes were speaking to her. Her eyes slid close as Inuyasha kissed her forehead, and then her nose.

"Kagome."

Kagome once again opened her eyes to stare at him, only to see devotion burned in them. There was another emotion in them too but Kagome wasn't certain.

"Aishiteru, Kagome."

Was she hearing things? Did those words come out of Inuyasha's mouth? Kagome bit her lip, to make sure that it wasn't some wonderful fantasy. She tasted blood; it was real. Tears welled up in her eyes. Inuyasha reached out and wiped away the trials of water, sliding down her cheek.

Her mind was now flooding with different thoughts. There were so many things that she wanted to tell him, but first, she had to say the one thing that she had kept in her heart for so long.

"I love you."

* * *

A/N: This was one of the hardest chapters that I've ever written. It took me so long just to come up with a decent paragraph. After much editing, deleting and tweaking, it is here for your reading pleasure. Usually I take really long to get those two to admit how they feel, but the plot is more complex this time. Anyway thanks for waiting, and I hope to update soon.

_**Gonem- sorry**_

_**Iie-No**_

_**Arigato- Thank you**_

_**Aishiteru- I love you.**_

Neogirl


	4. Secrets

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. I have no ownership of the characters, the anime series, the movies or the manga. I'm just a poor girl who owns this piece of crap that I call a computer that always crashes on me.

Betrothed

Chapter 4- Secrets

* * *

Morning came much faster than anyone would have really wanted it to. The sun filtered through the tiny crevices of the glass window, shining in particularly on two figures that were sprawled together on pink, satin sheets.

The sunlight was the factor of Kagome's awakening. The room seemed to be a little too bright at the time, making Kagome groan in protest and immediately squeeze her eyes shut.

Her hands reached up and touched her forehead to block out the bright rays from her eyes before she decided it was safe to open them. The first thing that became noticeable was how stiff her body was. Her muscles seemed to be protesting at any simple movement she made. Whimpering, Kagome tried to push herself up, but was baffled when she felt a sudden weight on her body. It was only then when her eyes slid down to her bare tummy, was when she caught the slight of sliver strands.

It didn't take long for the memories to flood back into her mind and by then, her cheeks were tingling. She inwardly cursed herself for blushing before looking down at the sleeping face of Inuyasha.

His face gave off a complete look if innocence. So much, that if she hadn't known him, Kagome would have guessed that his personality would be as charming as his face, but looks were definitely deceiving in this case.

'I still love the arrogant, bastard,' Kagome thought happily and allowed her fingers to slide through his hair. Her hands slipped out of his sliver tresses and gently ran themselves across his cheek. 'It has taken us so long, to get where we are now.'

Kagome's happy sigh is what woke up Inuyasha. A smile tugged his lips when he felt the soft pads of her fingers stroking his face down to his neck. Moving his head to the side, he placed a tender kiss on Kagome's naked stomach.

"Ohayo, koi," Inuyasha mumbled softly against her skin and crawled up her body until he was staring at her blushing face.

"Morning, Inuyasha," she said shyly and closed her eyes when his lips connected with hers. Kagome's hands slowly reached out for Inuyasha to bring him as close as humanly possible. His hands slid up and down her waist, which made her stomach do flip flops, with each gentle touch.

When he'd pulled away, Kagome was out of breath. Inuyasha lowered his head, but instead of giving her the kiss, that she so desperately desired, his lips pressed against her pale neck. Kagome closed her eyes and rested her palm on the back of his head. The moment seemed to be one that couldn't be ruined until Kagome's eyes caught sight of the clock on her nightstand.

"Aw crap, class!"

"Nani?"

Inuyasha was now looking at her. Without thinking, Kagome shoved Inuyasha off her and slid off the bed.

"I've got to get ready!"

Inuyasha swore before he raised his head to stare at the girl. She was now, scurrying around the room, digging in her drawer and throwing things around.

"What's the matter?" he asked and sat up on the bed.

"I'm late for class!" Kagome said frantically and pulled on her underwear before slipping on a skirt and digging some more in the drawer.

"Can't you skip it, and stay with me?" he wined but Kagome paid him no attention.

"Iie!" she shook her head. "If I miss anymore I'll be way behind and I can't afford to get behind!"

She smiled triumphantly when she found a plain blue shirt. Without a word, Kagome pushed her head through the hole and quickly put her hair up in a messy bun, while slipping on a pair of sneakers.

"See you later, Inuyasha!"

She had barely given him a fleeting glance before she rushed out the door. Inuyasha sighed and threw himself on the bed. Honey hued eyes opened to stare at the blank ceiling.

"Way to start the morning."

His sulking didn't last long for the melodic tune of his cell phone ended the silence. Grumbling, Inuyasha made his way across the room and picked it up. He couldn't help but sigh he saw a familiar number on his caller ID.

* * *

"Hey, Kagome-chan!"

Smiling, Kagome turned around to face her roommate. Sango's long hair was up in its usual high ponytail and she was wearing a rather bright, red blouse and a pair of black jeans.

"Ohayo, Sango-chan!" Kagome replied.

"Sorry for leaving you, with Inuyasha in the dorm last night. It was only because me and…"

"That's just fine. I was okay with it," Kagome beamed.

It didn't take Sango long to figure out that something had definitely changed in Kagome's attitude towards Inuyasha. Usually, if her friend were left alone with Inuyasha for only a duration of twenty minutes, a fight would soon erupt between the two. Kagome would then later go to Sango and complain about Inuyasha's rude, arrogant ways until her temper rose once again.

Sango couldn't help but wonder what had occurred between the two. Tilting her head to the side, Sango smiled at the beaming young woman before her. Kagome now seemed to be distracted with the world around her.

The two old friends began walking until they were both sitting under a large tree that provided much needed shade for the scorching sun, towering above them.

"So, when are you going to tell me what happened last night?"

The redness on Kagome's cheeks was immediately noticeable to the person sitting next to her. Sango couldn't help but smirk at her friend's reaction to an innocent question.

Kagome's hands flew up to cover her face but couldn't help but giggle. When she had first woken up with Inuyasha lying down on top of her, the so-called 'warm and fuzzy feelings' took over. Her stomach was constantly doing flip flops and her heart was beating so fast and loud that Kagome was surprised that Inuyasha hadn't heard it. The entire morning she'd felt as if she were floating on a cloud. Just the simple thought of Inuyasha made her more anxious to see him.

"I love him." Kagome whispered and smiled at Sango.

That was enough to give Sango the idea of what had happened. Sango smiled and hugged Kagome.

"I'm so proud of you Kagome-chan, for finally telling him how you feel."

A soft smile came upon Kagome's face.

"I'm proud of me too."

* * *

"Inuyasha!"

Kagome dropped her books, rather roughly on her bed and looked around the cluttered room. It was empty. He had obviously left since his things were no longer scattered on the ground, as they previously were this morning.

Kagome immediately pouted. She'd missed him greatly during the day and was looking forward to seeing him after.

"I wonder it's he's at his apartment?" Kagome asked herself and flipped her phone open before dialing Inuyasha's cell number. The college student waited for him to pick up, but all she heard was the constant ringing coming from the other line.

Sighing, Kagome decided that it would be best to stay in her dorm room. Picking up her calculus textbook the young woman began scanning through the questions that she had gotten for her assignment. Her anxiety to see Inuyasha was growing and she needed to occupy herself.

"I'll just do the questions," she mumbled and picked up her pencil.

* * *

Inuyasha sighed when he felt the girl standing before him wrap her tiny arms around his strong, muscular frame. He hesitantly patted her back and embraced her half-heartedly.

"I know that our parents forced us into this, but Inuyasha…."

She paused so she could look up into his golden eyes. Inuyasha attempted to smile at her but his lips weren't shifting from its current frown.

She was smiling at him nonetheless. She was pretty. Inuyasha would at least admit that. She had almost sparkling blue eyes, her hair was short and dark, while her skin was pale and seemed almost flawless to the human eye but none of this seemed to attract Inuyasha, for she was not Kagome.

"Inuyasha," she sighed once more before pulling away from him. "I…" Her face was slowly turning crimson. "We are forced to marry, I know. Most women would despise such a fate but I don't… I… I love you, Inuyasha. I've loved you for a long time"

Inuyasha swore as those three words echoed in his mind once again. Gripping his hair, he let out a frustrated sigh. If only he could tell her the same thing. She had departed not soon after her confession, leaving Inuyasha in complete shock.

"How the hell am I going to get out of this mess?" Inuyasha asked himself and clenched his hands into tight fists. His plan was to initially try to get out of the arrangement but it was going to be even more difficult with since _she _was now in love with him.

He did love her but it was not romantically. She'd been a childhood friend. The love he felt for her was one between brother and sister.

What bothered him most was what he would tell Kagome. That was if he was going to mention anything to her at all. Knowing Kagome, the girl would be ripped apart if she knew.

'But still… don't I have a responsibly to tell her?'

It wasn't long before Inuyasha found himself facing the familiar mahogany door. He raised his hand to knock, hoping that the troubled expression on his face was no longer existent.

It seemed, however that Kagome sensed his arrival for the door swung open before his fist could connect with the wood. Inuyasha watched as Kagome's seemingly tired face lit up. She beamed at him before throwing her body on top of his.

"I missed you!" Kagome admitted and slid her hands around his torso. Inuyasha immediately wrapped his arms around Kagome's tiny frame. He had missed her as well. He buried his nose in her hair, taking in the scent of vanilla.

Kagome tiptoed slightly and pressed her lips against his. Her arms slid around his neck and she used her hand to pull him as closer to her. Inuyasha immediately responded and pulled Kagome's body flush against his.

Inuyasha's mind however was nagging him. Gathering all his resolve Inuyasha slowly pulled her off him before looking into her confused eyes. He had hoped to gain as much comfort from the kiss that Kagome had given him. His mind though, wanted something else.

"Kagome," He sighed. "I have something to tell you."

"Eh? What could be wrong?"

Her face had immediately fallen and worry lines were already appearing on her forehead. Inuyasha frowned. He hated to see her in this current condition. The simple look that she was giving him now made him feel even guiltier for keeping something so serious from her.

"I…. I'm…" he paused. How was he going to tell her? Her eyes showed so much concern for him that Inuyasha knew that e didn't have the heart to tell her. He opened his mouth but only found one thing coming out. "I…. I love you."

A smile slowly crept its way on to Kagome's face. She raised one eyebrow and cocked her head to the side, while giving him that smile he loved so much. Delicate hands reached up and touched his forehead.

"Are you feeling well Yashie-kun? You're saying things that you don't normally say," Kagome stated and pushed some bangs out of his eyes. "I thought that you'd be sulking still after I'd left you this morning."

Inuyasha frowned and followed Kagome inside of the bedroom. He folded his arms and watched her as she closed the door soundlessly behind her.

"Keh, I don't sulk," he retorted.

Kagome shook her head and smiled rather smugly at Inuyasha.

"Of course you don't," she said, her voice laced with sarcasm. Sliding on the bed Kagome pulled the textbook onto her lap. She knew that Inuyasha was staring and that gave her even more reason ignore him.

"Kagome..."

"Where were you today? I called you but you didn't answer." she cut him off. Her eyes were still focused on the textbook.

Inuyasha stared at the plain white walls, not wanting to look at her face. He debated whether or not he should tell her the truth.

"I was in the library, studying for finals."

* * *

A/N: Hey everyone! This chapter when through a lot of re-reading, deleting, rearranging and editing, to get it just right. I'm still not certain about this chapter though. I guess you guys will have to tell me, so I'll know my faults, etc. Well if you have read my profile, I mentioned that I won't be updating until after the 30th of this month. Finals have arrived and they're three weeks long so just wait… I'm not abandoning this story. So that's it, reviews are much appreciated. I thank every single person who took their time to deliver a review for this story so far. I was a bit uncertain about this story at first but I'll continue for those who are actually reading.

Oh yea, for those who are wondering why I got Inuyasha and Kagome together so quickly; it was simple, I need to get on with the rest of the plot. They admitting they loved each other is just the beginning there is much more to come and I'm sure you'll hate me at times for some chapters… buhahahaha… well that's it. Review please!

Neogirl


	5. So Close

Disclaimer: If I did own Inuyasha I would not be wishing on a star every night that the series would be magically passed on to me o.o

Betrothed

Chapter 5- So Close

* * *

Kagome stared at the small clock on the nightstand once more. He had done it again. Inuyasha had disappeared without even a clue to where he might be. This was now becoming an ongoing cycle in Kagome's eyes. She would attempt to reach him all day without any luck. Later she would ask him where he had been and he always told her the same thing, studying.

The thought that he was lying to her was slowly creeping into Kagome's mind. She had never doubted him before, for she saw no reason to. He had always been honest with her, no matter what the situation.

'But recently… he's been so distant…'

Kagome sighed and stared at the piles of clothes, both dirty and clean spread across Inuyasha's room. She had never been in his room by herself. Inuyasha had always been with her, so that he could monitor every single movement she made.

"I guess, I should just go home," Kagome mumbled to herself and slid off the bed. Slowly, she picked up her small, almost empty bag and walked out of the room.

The apartment was empty. Sango and Miroku had gone out together, leaving Kagome alone to ponder on where Inuyasha was. She had remembered clearly what Miroku had told her;

"Don't worry Kagome, he does this all the time. Inuyasha will be back by the end of the day, complaining about his stomach."

What had really bothered her was the phrase, all the time. It made Kagome become even more curious about what he could be hiding.

Slowly, her tiny hands reached for the doorknob. Kagome hesitated and looked around the small apartment once more. Sighing, she faced her attention to the front door, and was surprised to find it open. Kagome was even more stunned when her eyes caught sight of the tall figure standing in front of her.

Inuyasha stood rather sluggishly at the door with his head leaning slightly against the doorframe. His golden eyes were wide and his mouth was slightly open. Kagome could assume that he was surprised to see her as well.

"Ka… Kagome…"

Kagome managed to muster a tiny smile despite her sudden feeling of doubt. Raising her hand, Kagome ruffled the bangs on Inuyasha's forehead.

"And where have you been?"

Inuyasha immediately averted his eyes. Kagome's smile slowly turned into a frown when she noticed his immediate hesitation. Taking a deep breath, the young woman slowly took Inuyasha's hand.

"You can tell me anything. I'll never hate you, okay."

Using her free hand, Kagome rested it on his cheek and slowly moved his head so that he would look directly at her. Leaning up slightly, Kagome pressed her lips against his to give him a sweet, chaste kiss.

She was rather disappointed when Inuyasha was barely kissing her back. Pulling away, Kagome made sure that Inuyasha saw the expression on her face. She was very concerned about him, ever since he had started disappearing.

"What's going on?" Kagome asked seriously and removed her hand from his face.

"I… can we sit?" Inuyasha asked and took Kagome's hand to lead her towards the nearest chair, which happened to be an old, stained sofa. The chair made a loud 'poof' when the two bodies landed on it.

Inuyasha knotted his fingers together as he contemplated on how exactly he was going to tell Kagome about his current situation. He loved Kagome, more than anyone could ever imagine, yet he knew that he could never really be with her. Kagome had always been honest with him from the first day that he had met her. Inuyasha couldn't help but feel like he was betraying her trust by constantly lying to her about where he had been.

'I can't keep this a secret forever. She'll have to find out, sooner or later.'

Inuyasha raised his head so he could once again look at her face. He could clearly see the creases on her forehead, her light eyes showed so much concern that it made Inuyasha feel even guiltier for what he was doing. The guilt factor rose when he felt Kagome, gently coax his fingers out of their knotted position and took one of his hands in hers.

"Kagome," he began slowly, "My family… is very traditional."

Kagome's furrowed her eyebrows. What did any of this had to do with his family? She kept silent despite the many questions running through her head at the time.

"My mother and father organized for me an," Inuyasha paused. He had no idea how he was about to tell her. Sucking in large supply of air he attempted to tell her again. "Kagome, I have a fia…."

"What a night that was!"

The couple looked in the direction where the voice had come from. They heard the rattling of keys from behind the door and two seemingly arguing voices.

"Why did you have to touch me there, in a place like that? Everyone started! Everyone!"

"Well, koi if you hadn't hit me or screamed no one would have stared."

"Don't you dare blame it one me! Why won't this key work?"

A loud scream of frustration followed the last statement causing both Inuyasha and Kagome to cover their ears in an attempt to block out the high-pitched sound.

"Don't you dare touch me now, just don't!"

"I really don't see the point of acting like a child."

Inuyasha swiftly got up from the sofa and paced towards the wooden door. It didn't take him long to undo the many locks on the door. He opened it just in time to see Sango deliver a rather hard slap across Miroku's face. Letting out a rather loud huff, Sango marched into the small apartment.

"Ah Inuyasha I see that you've finally reappeared," Miroku said and patted his friend on the shoulder. Walking into the apartment rather casually Miroku slumped down the on the chair next to Kagome. "You look a bit peeved, Kagome. I'm sorry if we interrupted you and Inuyasha in the middle of things."

Kagome smiled at Miroku despite the obvious perverted comment and allowed her eyes to quickly look at Inuyasha. "It's fine."

Honesty for Kagome, it wasn't fine that Sango and Miroku had interrupted them. Inuyasha was about to tell her something that was obviously of major importance to him. Kagome couldn't help but feel angry with both of her friends, even though she knew that the couple hadn't done it purposely.

The silence of the room was broken when Miroku decided it would be best to switch on the television. The small device made a loud 'plump' every time he switched the channel. Sighing, Kagome decided it would be best to find her roommate and go back to their dorm room.

"Does anyone know where Sango-chan could be?"

As if she had heard her name being called, Sango entered the room. Rage was burning in those usually calm dark brown orbs. Kagome had rarely seen Sango this angry with anyone. It was quite a shock to Kagome, to see her roommate worked up over something so minor.

"Ano…. Sango-chan," Kagome began.

"Kagome are you going home now?" Sango asked in a hastily. Her eyes were not focused on Kagome. Sango's eyes were too busy shooting flaming bullets at Miroku's back.

"Well, I think I was about to…"

"Good, here are your keys Miroku."

She threw it so that it hit him on the back of his head. Miroku looked unmoved and kept his attention the small box before him.

Sango gave a rather vicious growl and stormed out of the apartment. "Bye Inuyasha," she managed to mumble as she walked out the door.

Kagome quickly followed, saying a quick goodbye to Miroku and delivering on kiss on Inuyasha's cheek before departing from the two boys' home.

* * *

Kagome glanced up briefly from her textbook to look at her roommate, who was sitting on the carpeted floor, across the room. Her head was lowered. She too seemed to be studying as well. Kagome couldn't see her friend's expression because of the long, brown hair that covered her face.

"Sango-chan," Kagome began. The raising of Sango's head indicated to Kagome that she was listening. "What really happened between you and Miroku tonight?"

Sango raised one eyebrow slightly before she smiled quite warmly at Kagome. Using one hand to support her head, Sango started at Kagome as if she seemed to be evaluating her. After a long stretch of silence, Sango spoke.

"Nothing. I'm bit stressed right now. I'll smoothen it out tomorrow."

"Oh, okay that's good to know,"

Kagome replied and started down at the large number of words on one page. Her mind was far away. After she had arrived home, Kagome had tired to think of what Inuyasha had meant when he said that his family was very traditional. Her grandfather was slightly traditional as well, but she knew that Inuyasha hadn't meant that they ran around trying to cast spells and hunting for demons. Even if they did, that in Kagome's mind did not contribute to Inuyasha disappearing and him being so secretive.

"Kagome-chan?"

Kagome jumped when the silence of the room was suddenly broken. Looking up, the young woman saw Sango looking at her.

"Nani?" she responded.

"What's bothering you?" Sango asked.

"I…."

"Don't bother lying," Sango added calmly. Kagome sighed and pushed the loose strands that were in front of her face behind her ear. Sango was still staring at her, waiting for a response.

"Have you noticed that Inuyasha disappears at times?" Kagome asked and pulled her knees up so she could rest her chin on them. Sango stood up and walked over to her friend.

"Hai,"

Using her fingers, Kagome pulled loose strings sticking out from the carpet.

"He's hiding something, I know it."

She sighed when the vision of Inuyasha's face when he had first seen her waiting for him in the apartment. He looked almost terrified. So much that it hurt Kagome deeply just to look at him.

"Did you try asking him about it?" Sango questioned.

"Yes and he almost told me," Kagome paused and looked over at Sango who was looking intently at her, waiting for her to continue. "He stopped when you and Miroku began arguing at the front door. He looked so relived that you guys had come at that time." Kagome rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand, "It was almost like he didn't want to tell me."

"Kagome, I'm so sorry."

"Iie. It's not your fault. I want him to want to tell me. He obviously didn't want to then."

"Kagome-chan…"

"I did get one thing out of him though. He said that his family's very traditional. I didn't understand what he meant though."

Kagome let out another sigh and lowered her head to the floor once more. No matter how much she thought about it Kagome couldn't really interpret what he meant.

Kagome's thoughts stopped when Sango hugged her. Kagome smiled and hugged her friend back. Even though Sango didn't know what to say to her, Kagome always found that her friend found ways of making her feel better.

"We should go somewhere tomorrow," Sango suggested, and smiled at Kagome.

"But finals are only a week away I've got to finish…."

"Come on, that's all you do, study. You need to loosen up, relax!"

Kagome chuckled when Sango ruffled her hair.

"Alright."

* * *

"I love you."

Inuyasha sighed at her words that were filled with such honesty. He felt terrible for lying to her. Staring at the white walls surrounding him he answered her.

"Me too."

He could almost imagine her beaming at him, even though she was speaking to him on the phone. She deserved better than him. Inuyasha didn't want to hurt her. She was such an honest, caring person. He would hate to remove the normal spark that was present in her eyes.

"You're coming this year, right?" she asked, bringing him out of his thoughts.

"Yes, I am."

"Good!" she said happily. "Because this year there's going to be a lot of people and they'll be so excited to see you."

"I'll be there for sure," Inuyasha replied.

"I can't wait to see you again. I know I just saw you today, but every time I see you I… feel so special."

'Damn it' Inuyasha swore and fisted his hands in the plain, gray sheets. She was falling for him more and more with each passing day.

"I have to go now," she said after a long period of silence. "Goodbye."

"Bye," Inuyasha replied and flipped the phone shut. He rested the phone on the nightstand. He couldn't tell her about Kagome nor could he admit that he felt no romantic feelings towards her as well.

Inuyasha was almost relived when Sango and Miroku had interrupted him in telling Kagome about his arrangement. He wasn't ready for anything terrible to happen between him and Kagome. They had recently gotten together and he had hoped for a long lasting relationship with her, even though his mind constantly reminded him that the chances of that happening were very slim.

"Why did my life have to be so freaking complicated?"

* * *

A/N: Hey I'm back with a new chapter. Well I hope it was enjoyable. I had block with this one. I know what you're thinking; you're not supposed to get writer's block so early in a fic, right? Guess that happens sometimes. For those who were wondering, yes Inu and Kag did the deed.

Thank you to who took time to review after reading the last chapter! It is much appreciated. So I hope you review for this chapter too.

Neogirl


	6. Sometimes Happiness…

Disclaimer: Inu and gang do not belong to me.

Betrothed

Chapter 6- Sometimes Happiness…

* * *

Inuyasha slowly opened his eyes. Letting out a soft yawn, Inuyasha took in his surroundings. He was definitely in the comfort of his own bed. It took him some time to notice that someone was lying down beside him. It wasn't until he felt something tickling his chin that it occurred to him that his arms were firmly secured around a small frame.

Looking down Inuyasha caught the sight of his love's sleeping face. Her body was facing his giving him a perfect view of the almost angelic appearance. Inky black tresses were spread across her pale face, her lips were slightly parted and her eyebrows were slightly raised, giving the impression that she was having a very interesting dream.

This was definitely a good way to start the morning. Her finals had finished yesterday and Kagome had insisted that they spend the rest of the day together. A smile tugged at his lips when he remembered her almost childlike behavior after she had walked out of the classroom. Kagome had spun around in circles so much that she almost tumbled down some nearby stairs. If Inuyasha hadn't grabbed onto her wrist at that time the young woman would have gotten some pretty nasty bruises.

Removing one hand from her waist, Inuyasha pushed some strands out of her face before caressing her left cheek. Kagome groaned and sifted slightly in his arms. Her small fingers fisted into his shirt as she mumbled incoherently beside him. Inuyasha chuckled and secured his arm more securely around his waist before deciding that she looked very kissable at the moment. Lowering his head, the college student prepared to deliver a soft kiss on Kagome's now pouted lips.

Unfortunately for him the sound of his vibrating phone stopped him. Kagome seemed to have heard the sound for her eyes opened. Her eyes focused on the handsome man before her. She gave him a sleepy smile.

"Ohayo," she said lazily. Inuyasha smiled back at her.

"Morning Kagome."

Inuyasha chose to ignore the sound of his phone vibrating on the nightstand. He had a good idea of who was calling him. Kagome on the other hand seemed to be agitated by the noise. She looked up at him with a frown on her face.

"Aren't you going to answer that?" she inquired and began to move away from him. Inuyasha held on to her with both arms before pulling her back to him.

"Why should I?" Inuyasha asked. Kagome raised an eyebrow at him.

"Who is it that always calls you?"

Kagome instantly noticed when his eyes tore away fro hers. He was now looking down at the sheets. His hold on her had slackened as well. Her frown deepened at this. She wasn't going to force him to tell her what was bothering him. All she wanted was for him to trust her enough to tell her.

"It's my family," Inuyasha replied. He still wasn't looking her directly in the eyes.

"You've never spoken that much about your family," Kagome stated. She rested her hand on his forehead. The simple action caused him to look at her in surprise. Kagome was giving him one of those gentle, understanding smiles.

"Kagome?"

"You told me that you had an onii-chan, ne?" Kagome asked. Inuyasha nodded, wondering what else she was about to say to him. "I'd like to meet him, someday. When you're ready for me to meet your family just tell me."

"Kagome I wish…"

"It seems painful for you to talk about them," Kagome cut him off. Inuyasha frowned and averted his eyes once again. Kagome ignored this and slid both arms around his neck. "Tell me when you're ready. I'm always willing to listen," she added softly.

* * *

"I can't wait 'til we get home!" Sango said excitedly.

Kagome ignored her friend and watched as the trees passed by them in a green blur. She was already missing Inuyasha. She had asked him to come home with her but he had told her that he had some family business to attend to. He had promised that he'd visit her during the summer. Kagome made sure to give him precise directions to the shrine. The issue of his family still nagged her but Kagome trusted him enough to tell her when he was ready.

"Oi, Kagome-chan!"

The young woman jumped and looked over at her friend Sango who was now waving her hand in front of her face.

"Are you feeling okay?" Miroku asked. Kagome smiled and nodded at the pair.

Miroku decided to spend the summer with Sango. The two were usually apart for the four months. Miroku had insisted that he come with Sango in order to get acquainted with her family. He also had set up some job interviews right in Tokyo in hope of starting a life there.

"You've been so distant for the past couple of hours. Is something bothering you?" Sango asked and rested a hand on her friend's shoulder.

"Iie. I'm fine. Just thinking about my family," Kagome lied.

Sango began to give her that analyzing look once more. Her eyebrows furrowed and a frown was slowly making its way on her face. Kagome inwardly sighed. She didn't even know why she attempted to lie.

"Kagome-chan…"

"The Higurashi Shrine, right?"

Kagome looked away from Sango. The old driver was looking back at the three and he was giving Kagome especially, a toothy grin causing his face to look extremely wrinkled. Kagome nodded quickly before rushing out the car. She didn't want to answer Sango at the time.

Kagome lifted the trunk and tried to lift the oversized, blue bag out of the car. She paused when a pale, delicate looking hand covered hers. Kagome looked strait into the brown eyes of her mother.

"Mama!"

Kagome threw her arms around the middle-aged woman. Mrs. Higurashi smiled and slid her arms around Kagome's waist. Kagome pulled away to look at her mother. She didn't look any different from when she last saw her. Her mother still had that same short, black hair with only a few gray strands visible, she still had that warm look in her eyes as well, and also the same smile.

"Welcome home, Kagome," she smiled. Pulling away from her daughter, Mrs. Higurashi easily pulled the blue bag out of the trunk. Kagome beamed at her mother before closing the trunk with a small 'thunk'.

"I'll see you later Sango-chan, Miroku!" Kagome yelled as the vehicle drove away.

Kagome's spirits were already lifted. She turned around to face her mother who was now beaming at her.

"You're just in time for the party!" Mrs. Higurashi said happily. Kagome stepped back before looking up at the house standing on top of the shrine steps. It gave no indication that something interesting was going on there.

"Nani? Party?"

* * *

Kagome sighed and stared at herself in the mirror. She looked pretty decent. Her hair was held up in a high ponytail, and she was wearing a plain, strapless black dress. The college student had expected come home to a nice, quiet house.

Her mother had informed her that they were holding a small family gathering. Kagome scoffed at the thought. Her family was anything but small. There were so many members of her family that she had yet to meet.

"Kagome?"

The young woman turned around at the call of her name. Her face lit up at the sight of a tall boy with short, untidy bangs and gleaming chocolate brown eyes.

"Ah, Souta!" Kagome said and immediately reached up to touch the top of her brother's head. "How are you Souta-_chan_? " Kagome teased and ruffled the bangs covering his forehead. She didn't miss the small pout that immediately formed on his face.

"I'm not little anymore," he argued. "You seem to be the little one now," Souta said, obviously referring to the fact that he was taller than her. Kagome chuckled and removed her palm from her little brother's head.

"Yeah, you're right," Kagome grinned.

The so-called _small_ family gathering was rather uneventful for Kagome. She got reacquainted with cousins, aunts and uncles and she had managed to meet some new family members as well. The house was extremely crowded at the time causing Kagome step outside.

She filled her lungs with fresh air as soon as her feet touched the brick floor. Walking slowly around her backyard, Kagome admired the natural calmness of the place. When she was at the shrine, Kagome always managed to feel as if time was standing still. She had missed home more than she thought.

Closing her eyes Kagome leaned against a wall, taking all that she could of her home. Everything remained the same since she had left home at the end of winter break. She heard the distant chirping of the birds mixing with the sounds of the city. How she wished that her university were here.

"Kag-chan?"

"Eh?"

No one had called her Kag-chan since she was about fifteen years old. There was only one person she could remember giving her that nickname was her cousin but she hadn't seen the girl in almost six years.

"Nara-chan?" Kagome asked and looked at the young woman before her. It was definitely her. She didn't look very different from when they were kids. She was still as pretty as ever, with dark hair and bright blue eyes.

Kagome soon found herself in the arms of her cousin. Kagome smiled and hugged her cousin back. Nara was now laughing and Kagome could have sworn that she felt dampness on her shoulder.

"I can't even remember the last time that I saw you," Nara whispered and looked at Kagome through glassy eyes.

"I've heard news about you," Kagome said, in an effort to lighten the mood. Nara raised one eyebrow but a smile still remained on her face. She seemed to know what Kagome was about to say.

"And what's that?"

"You're engaged, huh? Lucky girl!"

"Oh that!" Nara responded playfully. "It's no big deal. He may be amazingly sweet and handsome but it's still no biggie."

Kagome chuckled and embraced her cousin once more. She had missed Nara's company. From what she had heard, Nara had recently gotten into teaching. Her job was actually right in Tokyo. She was a teacher at a preschool. Kagome thought that job had suited her cousin well. Nara had always loved teaching when they were little and her patience was indeed admirable.

"And when will I be meeting him?" Kagome asked curiously. Nara beamed at her before informing Kagome that she would be back very soon.

Kagome nodded and once again leaned against the wall of the house. Her life right now seemed to be her idea of perfection. Not only did her family find happiness but also she was with Inuyasha who was in her opinion the perfect person for her. They hadn't been together for long but Kagome often envisioned them getting married. She'd feel like a child while having those thoughts. Kagome couldn't wait to tell her mother about him.

"Come on. I want you to meet a very important person!"

Kagome straitened up when she heard Nara's voice. It looked funny to see a very petite looking girl pulling a rather large figure. Kagome opened her mouth so that she would be ready to greet the young man but all the words were forgotten from her mind when she saw whom it was.

He was tall with a muscular looking frame. Long sliver locks flowed behind his back while wide golden orbs connected with Kagome's brown ones. It was without a doubt….

'Oh Kami…'

"Kag-chan this is my fiancé, Inuyasha," Nara said cheerfully and turned to Inuyasha. "And this is my cousin and one of my oldest friends, Kagome!"

* * *

A/N: I know… I'm evil right? I just had to stop it there. The temptation was too much for me. So yeah I moved kinda fast in this chapter. Now that I'm done with all the delay crap, I'm ready to move on to the real plot here and start some serious drama. So hope you loved it. Reviews and constructive criticism are appreciated. Thanks to all of my loyal readers and reviewers so far! I hope to update soon! 

Neogirl

_**Translations**_

_**Nara**- Old English: The nearest and dearest one. Japanese: An Oak tree. Aboriginal: A companion. _

_Ohayo- Good Morning_

_Onii-chan- Brother_

_Oi-Hey_

Iie-No Nani- What 


	7. Cannot Last Forever

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha blah blah blah and all that other stuff. You know. :cries:

Betrothed

Chapter 7- … cannot last forever

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Kagome didn't know how to react. She was beyond shocked. Just looking at Inuyasha told her that he hadn't expected her to be here.

'This… this was his family problem. He's… oh Kami-sama…'

Kagome looked over at Nara. Her mouth was moving very rapidly and from what Kagome could tell Nara was talking to them both. Kagome couldn't hear anything though. All sounds were blocked out of her head at the time. She didn't want to hear anymore about them… she could bear it.

Her body was suddenly beginning to feel very weak. Her legs no longer felt like they belonged to her. She quickly used her hand to support her weak body by attempting to cling on to the wall. Her eyes once again moved to Inuyasha.

He had now lost that wide-eyed look from before but he didn't look the least bit at ease. His expression had turned to that of worry. Kagome knew that he was desperately trying to mask it. She guessed that it was for the sake of Nara.

It seemed that her cousin had stopped chatting for her lips were now formed into a tiny frown. Both of her eyebrows were raised and her eyes were filled with worry. Kagome attempted to smile at her cousin but her lips weren't shifting.

The tears were coming. Kagome felt them. Her body was also slowly moving downward although her hand still clung on to the wall beside her. She used her other hand and slowly covered her face. She wouldn't cry, not in front of them.

It wasn't long before she felt a hand rest itself on her head. Kagome knew that it was her cousin, Nara. Inuyasha wouldn't approach her at this time. Kagome's body was weakening, and she knew it. All the emotion was overwhelming her…

"Kagome!"

That was the last thing she heard before she was consumed by darkness.

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Inuyasha stared down at the girl in his arms. He swore under his breath as he looked at her face, filled with anxiety. She had passed out only a few minutes after finding out about his arrangement. His desire to go comfort her was great but he couldn't when his _fiancé_ was standing right beside him.

"This way, Inuyasha," Nara said, interrupting his thoughts. She was now holding open a door, leading into a very pink bedroom. Inuyasha gently rested Kagome on the pink sheets. He allowed his hands to linger on her body for a few seconds before pulling away.

Nara immediately rested her hand on Kagome's forehead. Inuyasha stood by, feeling completely helpless. He dreaded the moment when Kagome's eyes would open for he knew what would happen. Kagome would end it.

Inuyasha sighed. Earlier he had tried to end it between him and Nara. He wanted out of this arrangement to be off. He had remembered clearly calling Nara's parents and telling them that they needed to sit down and have a serious conversation. They were supposed to arrive later on in the day.

'It would be over between me and her now… if only Kagome didn't show up….' Inuyasha thought solemnly. 'If only I knew from before….'

"Kag-chan, you need to wake up," Nara whispered and knelt at the foot of her cousin's bed. Nara's blue eyes turned towards Inuyasha. "I wonder what could be wrong with her. Thank you so much for carrying her, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha nodded and slowly and cleared his mind of the many thoughts running through them. Walking over to the bed, the young man laid his hand over Nara's, which was resting on Kagome's forehead. He saw the girl's reaction. Her face was immediately turning a crimson color.

"She'll be fine."

"I… I… I think I'll get some water for her," Nara said and beamed at Inuyasha. Without another word, his fiancé walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

Inuyasha let out a large amount of air when the door closed behind him. Hesitantly, he reached out and rested his hand on Kagome's cheek. It was slightly damp. No amount of self-control could prevent Inuyasha from swearing right there. Some tears had definitely fallen out of her eyes and it was because of him.

"Kagome, I'm so sorry," Inuyasha whispered and ran his thumb up and down her pale cheek. "I know that I'm responsible for this. Damn it, I would have told you sooner but it was so hard for me to…"

He stopped speaking when Kagome's eyelids slowly began to rise. She let out a barely audible groan before fully opening her eyes. It didn't take long for her to acknowledge his presence and by then Kagome seemed to be fully aware of what was going on.

Dark eyebrows shot up, pink lips slid down into a frown and light brown eyes suddenly became filled with water. Inuyasha was almost terrified what she was about to say to him next. Instead of verbal communication, Kagome decided that actions would better get her feelings across to Inuyasha. Her delicate hand slowly reached up before delivering a hard slap across Inuyasha's face.

The tears soon started to spill out of her eyes. Inuyasha cringed when she harshly let out a large breath. Her eyes soon darkened up to the point where the sparkle in her eyes had disappeared and those chocolate brown orbs had turned into a grim dark brown.

"Get the hell away from me," she ordered calmly. Almost too calmly in Inuyasha's opinion.

"Wait Kagome let me just…"

"Iie!" she almost screamed and shook her head violently. "I don't want to even look at your face right now! This… this is all wrong! My cousin… to my cousin," her voice had now been reduced to a mere whisper. "All this time I've been helping you cheat on my cousin… I just can't believe it."

"Kagome, I didn't want this to happen," Inuyasha added in quickly. He had now removed his hand from her cheek. Averting his eyes he continued, knowing that Kagome would at least listen to his explanation. "Technically, I wasn't cheating. Kagome this thing with Nara isn't what I want. When I was young my parents… my engagement it's all arrang.…"

"Ah Kag-chan, you're conscious!"

The two looked in the direction of where the soft voice had come from. Nara was standing at the doorway, holding a small glass, filed with water. The terrified expression had now disappeared from her face, and Nara was now smiling at the two.

Kagome quickly wiped away the trails of water on her cheeks with the back of her hand. She definitely didn't want her cousin to see her in such a state. She quickly glanced at Inuyasha to see that he had turned away from her.

Nara's hand softly rested on Kagome's arm. Kagome managed to smile this time.

"I'm fine Nara-chan. I guess I just got a little dizzy."

"Are you sure that it was that?" Nara asked and furrowed her eyebrows. "I've never seen anyone pass out like that."

"I'm certain," Kagome lied.

Kagome was also wondering about her sudden blackout. She had never actually fainted before. It couldn't be because of a lack of food. She had eaten a sandwich less that an hour ago and she still felt very full from her last meal.

"So, did you two get to talk?" Nara asked, cutting Kagome's thoughts short.

Inuyasha stole a brief glimpse at Kagome before once again turning his attention back to the pink walls. He couldn't look at her for it would have further increased his desire to run over and embrace her. His greatest wish was to comfort her, to tell her that it was going to be okay and that he would find a way to get them out of this mess. Inuyasha wanted nothing more than to be with her. If he wasn't engaged then he would have even asked Kagome to marry him as well but this wasn't a fantasy world, it was reality.

"We spoke," Kagome said, breaking the long duration of silence. "But I just couldn't find anything to really say to him. Right Inuyasha-sama."

Inuyasha stiffened. Despite the smile on Kagome's face and the gentle tone that she addressed him with, Inuyasha could still hear the venom laced within the sweet sound of her voice. That gave him even more reason not to look at her, for he could practically visualize the hurt and the fire dancing within those brown eyes.

"Inuyasha's fine."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'll call you Inuyasha then."

Nara was completely oblivious to the great tension in the room. She continued smiling despite the fact that neither Inuyasha nor Kagome were currently looking at each other. Her only conclusion was that the two were being rather shy with each other.

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Sango's cheeks suddenly turned a bright red when she felt the arms of Miroku wrap themselves around waist. Despite the sudden distraction, Sango managed to keep her eyes on the romance novel that she held on her lap.

"Sango..." Miroku groaned and placed a soft kiss on her neck. Sango moved her head sideways so she could stare into the eyes of her boyfriend. She attempted to give Miroku an angry look but failed miserably.

"Miroku let go of me. You know that my outo-san is in the next room."

" I know that," Miroku answered and slacked her hold on her. "But can't we just…"

"Do you _want_ my outo-san to murder you?" she inquired and rose one eyebrow. Miroku sucked in a large amount of breath before he let his hands drop completely to his sides. He definitely didn't want that. He indeed did feel intimidated by Sango's father. Miroku had remembered the first time that he had first come into contact with Sango's father. He had this disapproving look on his face and whenever he spoke to Miroku his voice almost sounded like a sharp bark.

"Gomen nasi," Miroku mumbled and lowered his head, hoping that Sango could hear the obvious disappointment in his voice.

"Oh come on," Sango began and stood up allowing the book that was on her lap to fall on the carpeted floor with a tiny 'thud'. Her hands reached out to embrace him but she stopped halfway when the shrill sound of the phone ringing entered her ears.

"Hello this is the….. Kagome?"

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Inuyasha stared once again at the large house before him. He had spent almost the last hour, sitting in his red automobile contemplating on what his next move should be. Heck, he was still wondering what had led him to this place. Under normal circumstances Inuyasha would have never come to this place.

In Inuyasha's opinion the house didn't even look welcoming. There was a tall, black, almost ominous looking gate surrounding the manor. It stood two storeys tall. Coving the large house was a dark, mucky looking brown with a dark green roof that could be mistaken for the color black by some, to match the paint.

Inuyasha freely let out some obscenities before opening the car door. He walked up to the house rather quickly for a person who didn't want to be there. Raising his fist high into the air, he pounded on the door, allowing some pain to shoot up his hand.

Inuyasha heard the soft click coming from the other side of the door indicating to him that someone had already come to the door. It wasn't long before the door swung open revealing a small girl who looked to be about the age of nine. She had long, dark locks that reached halfway down her back, the bangs in front of her face were overgrown and it was obvious that she had to push them out of her eyes often. Her eyes were a striking light brown that seemed to have a natural sparkle in them.

As soon as her eyes rose to meet his, Inuyasha noticed that they immediately lit up. Her slightly pouted lips curved into a dazzling smile and her eyes seemed to sparkle even more than usual.

"Uncle Yasha!"

Inuyasha smiled at the young girl despite his current mood. He bent down to her level and rested one large hand on top of her head.

"And how have you been, kiddo?" Inuyasha asked and ruffled the child's already messy black hair. She giggled and touched the hand that was resting on her head.

"Dad…. Daddy told me that you were mad at him and that I wasn't gonna see you in really, really long! That scared, Rin," she admitted honestly. Inuyasha noticed that her lips had once again turned into a small pout.

"Well I think your daddy is saying crazy things. Why would I want to not see you?"

Rin's face lit up once again. Inuyasha could almost feel the happiness radiating off her. He stood up strait once again before sending his niece another smile.

"Now where's that Sesshoumaru?" Inuyasha asked rather bluntly. Rin didn't seem to notice his sudden hostility for she still had a smile on her face.

Her tiny hand curled around his thumb finger before she started to pull him inside. Inuyasha looked around the living room. It was large enough to be a lobby for a hotel. The carpets were blood red, along with the couches and lounge chairs. A rather large chandelier was towering above them, which seemed to add a touch of elegance to the large room.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes at the appearance of the place. It suited his brother perfectly.

Rin pulled him until she arrived at a partly opened door. Using her free hand the child pushed the large door until it fully revealed the room behind it. It was then when the nine year old let go of his thumb and ran over to a wooden desk sitting in the middle of the dimly lit room.

"Daddy, daddy!" she began excitedly and disappeared behind a large office chair. "You wouldn't guess who came here!"

Inuyasha frowned at the lack of movement behind the chair. He at least wanted to be acknowledged by _him_.

"I see that you've finally gotten out of that car."

Inuyasha smirked before casually slumping into a soft, leather chair.

"Nice to see you too, bastard," Inuyasha responded with sarcasm dripping from his voice. Inuyasha's smirk widened when he noticed that Sesshoumaru wasn't even turning the chair around to look at him.

There was a long stretch of silence in the room. If anyone, even those unaware of the relationship that the too had, would have a felt a great amount of hatred radiating from the two men. To some, the atmosphere would have been quite uncomfortable but to both Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru, it was completely natural for they were always this way when they were around each other.

"Why are you here?" Sesshoumaru asked finally breaking the silence. Inuyasha closed his eyes before resting his feet on the coffee table in front of him and folding his hands behind his head.

"Just for a little visit, _Sessy_," Inuyasha responded, mocking the nickname that his adopted daughter Rin often called him.

"If you really have no purpose of being here, then I suggest you leave or simply leave my study. I have work to do," Sesshoumaru ordered with a complete calmness in his voice.

Inuyasha let out a large amount of air. He decided that it would be best to stop playing games with his brother and get strait to the point. He knew that it would be hard and also a blow to his pride, but he really needed this because of the situation.

Allowing the smirk to slide off his face, Inuyasha prayed that he wouldn't sound desperate when he spoke next.

"I'm here because… I need your help."

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A/N: I was planning to write more for this chapter but it felt so right ending it there, ya know. Anyway I'm not sure about this chapter. I guess that's why it took me so long to write it. I tried to put a lot of feeling into this chapter. All I can do is hope that you guys like it, right? Oh and thanks to all my reviews. Yay I'm over 100 reviews and it's all because of you! Yes you! You people who decided to read my story and leave your opinions. Constructive criticism is much appreciated so if you got any tell me okay and review if you can! Until chapter 8,

**Translations**

_Kami-sama- God_

_Iie-No_

_Outo-san- Father_

_Gomen nasi- I'm sorry_

Neogirl


	8. Let’s Face It

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

Betrothed

Chapter 8- Let's Face It

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Inuyasha stared up at the decorated ceiling. He was now lying on a very large bed, too large for one person alone, or so Inuyasha thought. His hands were behind his head, resting on a soft pillow. He had debated on whether it would be the best idea to stay inside the large house. Normally Inuyasha would have left after talking business with his brother but something seemed to keep him here.

The room was so large that it almost made him feel like a lone soul haunting an empty house. Inuyasha longed for her company. His mind was still on her. Every time Inuyasha closed his eyes, he would see that look that she had given him. The way she spoke and looked at him after she had found out further fueled Inuyasha desire to break off the arrangement.

--

"_I'm here because…I need your help."_

_Inuyasha clearly heard when Sesshoumaru cleared his throat. It was obvious that his brother was surprised. Inuyasha didn't even know how the heck he said that last sentence so calmly. His mind was racing with other things to say if Sesshoumaru rejected him. It was hard enough for Inuyasha to come and ask the person whom he despised for help but Inuyasha knew that it would be a serious blow to his pride if Sesshoumaru rejected him. _

"_You come to as me for help? After what you said about me the last time we met. Can you even recall what you said?"_

"_Keh, I'm not brain dead you know! I called you a arrogant bastard who cared for no one!" Inuyasha said. A smirk was slowly making its way back on Inuyasha's face. "And I still think that but… this time I really need the help of someone like you."_

"_Someone like me," Sesshoumaru echoed. _

_The room remained in silence once again. The tension was once again building up between the two males. After what seemed to be an eternity of quiet, Sesshoumaru spoke. _

"_I see," his tone of voice hadn't changed from the beginning of their conversation. Inuyasha often wondered what made his brother become so emotionless. "And what is it that you need help with?"_

_Inuyasha's eyes widened when the chair suddenly turned around and faced him. For the first time in almost ten months, Inuyasha was looking into the eyes of his brother. _

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Taking her compact out of her purse, Kagome once again checked her appearance. She looked pretty presentable with her long, wavy locks pulled up into a high ponytail and her eyes showed a tiny bit of mascara. She was wearing a simple, white summer dress with cream-colored slippers.

Kagome sighed and closed the mirror before slipping it back into her purse. She was a mess, even though she showed no signs of it physically. She had remembered getting approximately two hours of sleep last night. The hours that she had spent awake, staring at her ceiling; Kagome had contemplated on what to do about the situation with Inuyasha.

Sango had given her some good advice one week ago. Running away from the problem would be foolish. If it wasn't dealt with soon Kagome knew that she wouldn't be able move on.

Kagome's eyes scanned the coffee house once more. There were no familiar faces present yet and that made her become even more nervous. She had gone through in her mind continuously on what she was going to say but she knew that she would have trouble saying it.

'You can do this. Don't be afraid,' Kagome encouraged herself.

Hazel eyes darted upwards when she heard the chair directly in front of her being pulled backwards. Brown eyes clashed with amber ones. Kagome quickly broke eye contact and focused her attention on her hands that were folded on her lap.

"Hey," Inuyasha said once he was seated. Kagome sucked in a large amount of air. He had sounded almost desperate. Slowly, her eyes rose to meet his and she was surprised to find him looking directly at her.

"Ohayo, Inuyasha."

She couldn't deny that she was happy to see him, despite the negative feelings she had towards him. A smile slipped on her face despite her current mood.

"How've you been?" Inuyasha asked. Kagome blinked several times. Inuyasha had never been so polite towards her. Kagome slipped her fingers through her ponytail and stared at the brown, table separating their bodies from coming into contact.

"I've been," she paused. How had she been?

'I'm been a wreck since last Thursday afternoon but other than that I'm great!' Kagome thought to herself. She wasn't under any circumstances going to say that. It would cause too much tension to build between them and Kagome pictured Inuyasha's hurt expression as soon as those thoughts ran through her mind.

"I've been okay," Kagome answered and smiled at her. She lowered her eyes away from his for a short while before she once again looked into his golden eyes. The smile quickly slid off her face. "We need to talk."

"I know," Inuyasha said. "But let me just say something first."

Kagome stared at Inuyasha and remained silent. She assumed that he had a lot of things to tell her by just his facial expression. She nodded and waited for him to speak.

Inuyasha sighed and reached out to rest his hand over Kagome's small one. He was happy when she didn't make a move to pull away. He stared intently at her, hoping that she would believe him.

"Kagome, this isn't what you make it out to be," Inuyasha began. He paused for a couple of seconds, making sure that he thought through what he was about to say. "This engagement thing with Nara…. I never asked her to marry me."

"Nani?" Kagome blinked and stared at Inuyasha, now officially confused. "What do you mean?"

"I'm not the type to cheat when I'm committed to someone. Nara and I have been _arranged_ to get married by our parents."

Kagome's lips slightly parted. Nara was in an arranged marriage? Her uncle didn't seem like the type to get his daughter involved in such situations. That was when it hit Kagome; that was what Inuyasha meant when he said that his parents were very traditional.

"I don't want to lose you, Kagome. Not because of this," Inuyasha whispered and entwined his fingers with hers. The look in Inuyasha eyes was so intense that Kagome had to look away.

So many thoughts…. So many feelings were going through Kagome's head but one emotion was clear. Confusion. After having so many emotions course through her body, Kagome had no clue what to do next. She knew that Inuyasha was being honest with her, about everything and she so badly wanted to be with him again but her mind kept on reminding her about her many doubts that she had buried deep within her.

"Do….do you love her?" Kagome managed to get out. She refused to make eye contact with him at the time for she knew that he would see the insecurities clearly written on her face.

"Hai, I do." Kagome felt her heart clench painfully within her chest. It took almost all of her willpower not to reach up with her free hand and hold the area, which was currently burning. "She's almost like my little sister."

"Sister," Kagome echoed softly. The pain that was coming from her chest immediately stopped when it occurred to her that it wasn't a romantic love that he had for her. Kagome finally took the courage and looked up at him. He was currently smirking at her.

"Yes my sister. You were a little jealous for a sec. weren't you, Kag?"

The tension that was built around the couple suddenly lifted. She was happy that they seemed to be comfortable with each other's presence. With the awkwardness gone, Kagome frowned and stuck her nose up in the air.

"No. You're such an ego maniac!"

When the young woman opened her eyes to look at Inuyasha she found his face only centimeters away from hers. Kagome felt the heat slowly building up on her cheeks. She closed her eyes and squeezed his hand indicating to Inuyasha that it would be okay if he kissed her. Inuyasha smiled and gently touched her lips with his.

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Nara frowned when she continuously heard the ring tone in her ear. She pulled the phone away from her ear and stared at it if it were the same person she was calling. A frown etched her pretty face. She exhaled loudly and hung up the phone. She had called him multiple times for the day but he hadn't answered the phone once.

She'd hoped that he would stay at her apartment with her while he got settled in the city and was quite disappointed when he indicated to her that he would stay at his brother's while he settled. To Nara that thought was quite odd. She knew the brothers since childhood it was obvious the two weren't very fond of each other.

Nara shook her head before her eyes landed on a picture on the coffee table. It was her and Inuyasha. She was beaming in the picture but Inuyasha wasn't smiling. He had his signature scowl on his face. Nara noticed that Inuyasha rarely smiled. He hadn't smiled with her much ever since the death of both his mother and father.

Slowly she reached out and traced the outline of Inuyasha's face. She loved him and she openly admitted it too. Nara had made a promise to herself recently that when the two were to get married that she would do her best to make him happy.

'I wonder does he care for me the same way I do for him?' Nara asked herself and sat down on the couch, the photo still locked firmly within her fingers. She softly ran her fingers down the picture frame.

"I intend to find out how you feel Inuyasha," she whispered.

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_Inuyasha stared at his brother in shock. Sesshoumaru still had the same physical appearance from their last encounter. His long, sliver strands were pulled back into a neat, low ponytail. His face still had that pale, almost deathly color and his golden eyes were still vacant, making his face completely unreadable. Inuyasha looked down to see little Rin sleeping soundly on her father's lap. Inuyasha never understood what the girl saw in Sesshoumaru. _

"_I ask you again. What is it that you need help with?"_

"_A little impatient, aren't we?" Inuyasha responded and leaned comfortably back into the chair. _

"_I have important things to address. I don't have the time to put up with your teasing."_

_Inuyasha cracked one eye open to look over at his sibling. Sesshoumaru was currently looking down at Rin, his hand resting on her back. _

_Inuyasha fully opened both his eyes and looked down at the elegant looking white carpet. _

"_I need you to find out something about my arrangement," Inuyasha said calmly and made eye contact with his brother. The young man could have sworn that he saw surprise flash on Sesshoumaru's face before it returned once again to its usual cold exterior. Both of Sesshoumaru's eyebrows rose indicating to Inuyasha that he was willing to listen. "I want to get out of it," Inuyasha murmured._

"_So suddenly. What reasons do you have?" Sesshoumaru inquired._

_Inuyasha sighed and stared at the walls decorated with many pictures of forests and rivers. The hurt expression on Kagome's face earlier was still fresh in her mind. _

"**_I don't want to even look at your face right now! This… this is all wrong! My cousin… to my cousin…"_**

_Inuyasha dug his nails into the armrest and bit his bottom lip when her words once again echoed into his mind. It was almost like if he was once again reliving the moment but except it seemed to hurt him more the second time around. _

"_She's not the one I want to be with. I have someone else…"_

"_So it has happened again," Sesshoumaru said calmly. "Remember the last time… it didn't end well."_

"_This… This is different!" Inuyasha argued. His eyes were now shooting flaming arrows at his brother. Sesshoumaru shook his head and turned his chair so that his back was once again facing Inuyasha. Inuyasha growled and glared at the back of the large, leather chair. _

"_What is it you want me to do this time?" _

"_I can't handle this on my own. I want to find out if there's a legal document behind his engagement," Inuyasha explained as the angry expression slowly drained out of his face. "If there isn't then I could just break it off…if there is one then… I'll find a way to get out of this."_

"_You seem to be quite serious about this situation…and confident," Sesshoumaru commented. Inuyasha heard the rustling of paper and the clicking of a pen. It was a relief to know that his brother had decided to help him, despite their past with each other. For about three seconds Inuyasha actually began to admit that Sesshoumaru wasn't as bad as he seemed but the thoughts quickly vanished into the depths of his mind. _

"_I really don't want this. It's not good for me, or Nara. It'll only end up hurting us in the end."_

"_She loves you, doesn't she? If you break it off with her don't you think she'll be hurt then too?"_

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Kagome had never expected so much to happen to her in such a short expanse of time. Before her summer break had even begun, the college student had already planned out what she would do. Her number one priority would be to catch up in her family life. It was almost funny how during her first day home, Kagome's plans immediately changed and all her priorities were forgotten.

Kagome knew that she was currently entangled in a very complicated situation and she had recently made it even more difficult for herself to get out. On her arrival to the café Kagome had only one intention in mind, and that was to end it completely with Inuyasha. That plan had backfired. After hearing the real situation Kagome knew that she couldn't do it.

She blew out a large amount of air and continued to make her way up the stairs leading to her house. She titled her head upwards to stare at the endless amount of clouds floating by in the baby blue sky. She wished that her life was currently a lot simpler but she was old enough to know that just wishing for something didn't change situations.

When she arrived at the top, Kagome's eyes clashed with light brown ones. Kagome let out a slight 'eep' before her body began to fall backward. The person however seemed to notice this and caught hold of her hand before she could go crashing onto the hard stairs. She was surprised when she felt the person pull her body forward until it clashed into a hard body. Strong hands wrapped themselves around her waist, enveloping her in a tight hug.

Kagome looked up at the tall person and caught the sight of a familiar face. Her eyes widened before she returned the hug, half-heartedly.

"I see that you're still very much of a klutz, Higurashi."

Kagome chuckled before pulling away from the embrace that she was in. Her pink lips cured into a smile before she folded her arms in front of her chest.

"And I see that you're still looking out for me, Hojo-kun."

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A/N: Hey people I'm done with this chapter. I'm surprised at how quickly and confidently I wrote it. I like this chapter, which is quite surprising because I'm usually so unsure about my chapters. I hope you readers like this chapter as much as I do. I might start writing the next chapter very soon. Thanks for the reviews for the last chapter they were very supportive. So I hope you review, if you got time and stuff. Suggestions, comments, constructive criticism, email them all to me. Don't be afraid to e-mail me because I always answer.

Neogirl


	9. Not Everything Is All That Simple

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

Betrothed

Chapter 9- Not Everything Is All That Simple

* * *

Inuyasha slumped down on a plush, chair opposite his brother's desk. Sesshoumaru's back was once again facing Inuyasha. It really didn't matter to Inuyasha whether he could see his brother's face or not for he knew that it always held the same, unreadable expression. Inuyasha sighed and rested both legs, on top of a nearby coffee table.

"What is it you called me here for?" he asked and folded both hands behind his back while he raised one eyebrow.

"I would assume by your current mood that things are settled between you and that girl?"

Inuyasha frowned and glared at the chair in front of him.

"And why do you need to know my business?" the young man asked. He could clearly hear when Sesshoumaru chuckled. This surprised Inuyasha greatly for he didn't remember the last time that his brother had laughed or even cracked a small smile.

"I see. Back to business then," he replied and swiveled the chair until the two were looking directly at each other once again. "I've been doing some research on your situation."

"And?"

"And I think I've found a legal document," Sesshoumaru finished. Inuyasha's heart sunk. He could have sworn that his breathing had currently stopped at the time and the blood running through his body had come to a standstill. "_But_, I'm not certain. I'll have to confirm it with the courts."

The simple sentence didn't seem to pull Inuyasha out of his current panic. What if it was a legal document? What would he do then? He dug his fingernails into the chair in frustration. He had promised himself that he would get out of this thing with Nara. All he wanted was to be with Kagome but it was so difficult for him to do so.

Sesshoumaru quirked one eyebrow and delicately traced his chin with his long fingers.

"My question is what would you do if it was legal?"

Inuyasha sighed and slumped down into his chair. He slowly ran one hand down his face. Opening his eyes, he stared directly at the decorated ceiling.

"The truth is…. I don't know."

* * *

Kagome stretched her hand upward in an attempt to reach the mug sitting on the top shelf. She whimpered and went on her toes, hoping that he extra height would allow her to reach the mug. That unfortunately didn't work for her; it was just a little bit out of her reach.

She sighed and came down from her toes. A gasp escaped her lips when a hand gently landed on her shoulder. She found herself once again looking into the eyes of Hojo for the second time of the afternoon. With little effort he stretched out his hand and got the cup for her. He smiled at her, causing Kagome to blush slightly.

Kagome took the cup and walked over to the kitchen table, with Hojo following her. He sat directly opposite to her, a smile still present on his face.

"So what brings you here?" Kagome asked and poured a cup of tea for Hojo. He raised one eyebrow and her and took the cup in his hands.

"Why I came here to see you," he said. "I actually wanted to say that I'm going to be working in the same town where you are going to school. I asked for a transfer there and it was accepted."

"Why would you want to get a transfer? That means that you'll have to move to a new city and have settle down all over again."

Hojo smiled and looked boldly into her eyes. Kagome was taken back by his current facial expression. It was odd she had remembered receiving that look from Inuyasha only hours before. She gasped slightly and brought her fingers to her lips…. It couldn't be.

"I have my reasons," he replied and kept his eyes focused on her. Kagome brushed off the statement with a smile. There was no way Hojo had any romantic feelings towards her…. at least not anymore.

They had dated while both of them were still in high school. He was two years her senior which was exciting for Kagome for she was only a freshman at the time. He had always treated her well; making sure she was always comfortable around him, he frequently bought her gifts and there was one time when she had gotten extremely ill and he had skipped school just to tare care of her, despite the fact that her mother was home. The pair spilt after one year of dating. Kagome was the one who broke it off with him, for he was going to college in another city and a long distance relationship just wouldn't work.

"So what about you, how have things been going?" he asked, causing Kagome to snap out of her current thoughts.

"I've been doing pretty good," she lied. She was anything but good. At the moment Kagome was debating on what to do with her current situation. Nara was her cousin but at the same time she loved Inuyasha so much and couldn't leave him.

'The engagement isn't even real anyway, right?' Kagome asked herself and propped her face on her hands. She closed her eyes hoping that it would clear all the negative thoughts from her head.

She suddenly felt a warm hand rest softly on her cheek. Kagome opened her eyes and looked over at Hojo in surprise. Both of his eyebrows were raised high on his forehead, she could clearly see the worry lines on his forehead as well and a frown was present on his face.

"Are you feeling well?" he asked and slowly began to run his hand down her cheek. Kagome flinched slightly at the unwanted contact. Why was he suddenly being very affectionate towards her?

"Hojo-kun." Kagome whispered. Her eyes went downcast to stare at her hands, which were currently resting on the table, tightened into fists. The sudden intimacy that Hojo was currently displaying was making her feel rather uneasy.

The tension residing in her body left when she felt Hojo's hand remove itself from her cheek. It wasn't long before she heard a sigh coming from across the table, which suddenly made her feel an immense amount of guilt.

'Why, am I feeling like this? I didn't do anything wrong!' she thought.

She slowly lifted her head to stare at the man before her. He was currently looking away from her. His eyes seemed to be focused on the white walls surrounding them. Her guilt grew when she noticed that he was currently trying to avoid her eyes.

"Ano… Hojo-kun," she began in an attempt to break the current silence. She gripped the hem of her white dress and allowed her eyes to drop once more.

"How about we catch up some other time?"

Kagome looked up at Hojo with surprised eyes. He was once again smiling at her, but somehow his expression didn't seem to be all that genuine. She opened her mouth to respond to his request but he immediately cut her off.

"Tomorrow night?" he asked.

Kagome stifled a sigh and managed to give Hojo a tiny smile. She nodded her head in confirmation before responding.

"Tomorrow night."

* * *

Nara looked over at the man sitting across from her. His hands were folded across his chest, his eyes were closed, and his eyebrows were shot up high on his forehead.

A frown came across Nara's face as she studied his features. She'd hoped that him seeing her would at least bring some light onto his face. 'He seems to be even more troubled every time I see him.'

She folded her hands on her lap before looking down at the table. Without looking directly at him, Nara hesitantly moved one hand from her lap and reached out to Inuyasha. She pulled back for a moment when she thought that he had moved, but continued onward when she saw that nothing was wrong.

Inuyasha opened his eyes to stare at his fiancé when he sensed her eyes on him. He saw her hand was suspended in the air, and her face currently flustered. She seemed to notice that he was looking at her for her hand immediately dropped to her lap and her face instantly lowered.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

Inuyasha sighed and reached out to caress Nara's face. Her head jerked up and her cheeks became crimson once again.

"What you sorry for?" Inuyasha asked. Nara had no idea what to say. He had never, under any circumstances been this affectionate with her. The sudden intimate act made her mind turn to a big ball of jelly, so much that she couldn't actually form a proper sentence.

"Nothing," she mumbled. Her eyes once again fell down to her lap and she knotted her fingers together. "I'm worried about you."

Inuyasha blinked several times. She seemed to be avoiding all eye contact at the moment.

"Is something bothering you?" she inquired.

Inuyasha swore under his breath. He didn't think that she would notice his anxiety. His attempt to act as if nothing was wrong failed miserably. Just looking at Nara's downcast eyes made his guilt skyrocket to levels that it had never even reached before.

"No," he sighed and turned his head to avoid her eyes.

Nara sighed to herself. He so badly wanted him to open up to her. She had long ago sensed something was bothering him. The previous year they seemed to be going quite well with each other. At that time Inuyasha actually seemed to enjoy her company.

'But now….'

She once again looked at him to see that his attention seemed to be on someone or something. His eyes were wide and his mouth was slightly opened. Curious, Nara turned her head in the direction in which Inuyasha was looking.

It seemed that he had his eyes on some woman. She was rather tall, with long dark hair and she was wearing a simple blood red dress. Nara could feel the jealously boiling up inside her until the woman turned around allowing Nara to get a good look at her face.

"Kag-chan?" she whispered. A smile came across her face at the sight of her cousin. "Kag-chan!" she shouted and waved her hands back and forth to gain her cousin's attention.

Kagome seemed to have heard the call from the other side of the room for she faced Nara's direction. For a second Nara thought that she had seen Kagome's expression become grim and regretful but it was soon replaced with a warm smile.

After approximately ten minutes, Kagome managed to maneuver herself through the crowd of people to arrive at Nara's table. Nara stood up and embraced the young woman before her. When they pulled away her eyes caught sight of a very handsome man standing rather proudly next to Kagome.

"Oh you're on a date, huh?" Nara asked as a mischievous smile came upon her face.

Kagome's eyes quickly darted towards Inuyasha. He was staring at her intently, seemingly awaiting her answer to Nara's question. The scowl on his face was enough to make Kagome immediately avert her eyes.

"No. We're just having dinner, as friends."

"Oh," Nara said. "Then…. How bout you and your _friend_ join us? We were just about to order."

Kagome's heartbeat quickened. How in the heck was she going to get out of this? She quickly went through different reasons to tell Nara that she didn't want to join them but came up with no good reason. She glanced at Inuyasha hoping that he would help her out of this but he was glaring at her, obviously upset that she was going to dinner with some other guy.

"Why not?" Hojo said, breaking the silence among the four adults. Nara smiled before taking her seat across Inuyasha once again. Hojo took a seat right next to Inuyasha.

Kagome wanted to panic. By the look on Inuyasha's face she knew that he wanted so badly to hurt Hojo. Millions of thoughts swirled around in her mind, so much that she felt herself getting a headache. Kagome knew that there was obviously no way out of this. Sighing, the young woman hesitantly took the last seat next to Nara.

* * *

A/N; Yes people I'm alive. I won't be able to update as I did before because this is my last year in school and it requires a lot of studying. I've got tons of homework to do and it's so stressful for me right now but I will not abandon this story. It will be completed no matter how long it takes. So just be patient. I will update when I can. Thank you guys for reviewing the last chapter! I'm so happy people actually like this story. Until the next update,

Neogirl


	10. Dinner

Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Inuyasha

Betrothed

Chapter 10- Dinner

* * *

Inuyasha watched with raging jealousy as the Hojo person took a seat adjacent to him. The man looked at least a year or two older than Kagome. His eyes were a light, brown along with his sort, neatly cut hair. Inuyasha glanced once more at his now new rival before turning his attention once again to Kagome.

He could just tell by that smile that she was rather uncomfortable with the situation. Inuyasha would have felt the same way if his jealously wasn't currently overtaking him. The young woman's eyes turned towards him for a brief moment before she tore them away and continued her conversation with Nara.

Inuyasha swore under his breath. The damn girl was avoiding him. He wanted nothing more than some answers out of Kagome but he couldn't ask her in front of Nara.

"So how'd you and Hojo meet? What's your history together?" Nara asked, her eyes gleaming.

Kagome smiled at her cousin before her eyes darted over once again to Inuyasha. He was now leaning over, obviously interested in what her answer would be.

"We dated before," Hojo answered rather quickly in Kagome's opinion. Kagome made sure that her eyes did not meet Inuyasha's this time for she knew that he properly was glowering at her. She just prayed with all her heart that Inuyasha would not attack Hojo.

A sigh escaped Kagome's lips, gaining the attention of all the persons around the table. She immediately noticed when everyone at the table stared at her, making her feel even ore uncomfortable. Nara placed a hand on Kagome's shoulder, with a worried expression on her face.

"Are you okay, Kag-chan?"

"I'm fine, fine," Kagome responded and fiddled with the purse resting on her lap. The young woman was thankful that Nara didn't know her well enough to tell when she was lying for that would have been a very difficult situation to get out of.

Nara smiled and continued speaking. Kagome didn't bother listen for at the time her mind was currently on other things, more specifically on what she would tell Inuyasha after the dinner. Knowing Inuyasha if he didn't have a chance to speak with her personally tonight then he would definitely call her and demand an explanation.

Her head rose once again and this time her eyes immediately locked with Inuyasha's golden eyes. He raised one eyebrow at her before anger flashed in his golden orbs. Kagome attempted to give Inuyasha an apologetic look but it seemed that he had chosen to ignore her for his attention returned to Nara.

She didn't know why but Kagome suddenly felt a burning coming from behind her eyes. She slowly raised her hand and brushed her fingertips against the bottom of her eyelids just to make sure that there was no moisture present.

'Damn it Kagome, don't get emotional just because he gave you a look!' she inwardly scolded herself.

This time she turned her attention back to the conversation, making a decision to ignore Inuyasha for the time being. At first she couldn't pick up on the conversation for Nara and Hojo seemed to be on another topic already. He was talking about his career as a doctor and he happily mentioned how he would now be working in the same town as Kagome's university.

"That's great. So you guys will be spending a lot of time together then?" Nara inquired with a mischievous smile on her face.

"Well that is what I hope to do," Hojo replied and locked eyes with Kagome. The college student lowered her head, embarrassed by Hojo's intense stare.

Inuyasha scoffed before he allowed the jealously to burn within him once more. He knew that guy's intentions by just the way he looked at Kagome. Inuyasha swore that there was no way that Kagome was going anywhere alone with this guy. This Hojo could not be trusted under any circumstances.

"Right now you too are friends?" Inuyasha suddenly asked. Kagome looked at Inuyasha with surprise. She hadn't expected him to say anything for the rest of the dinner. Usually when Inuyasha was upset about something he would remain quiet and sulk like a five year old. The simple question made Kagome suspect that Inuyasha was definitely up to something.

"Yes we are," Hojo answered warmly before his eyes flickered to Nara. "And are you and Nara-sama here an item?"

All the thoughts vanished from Inuyasha's head. He looked over at Kagome and found her staring at her lap. Hojo's question reminded both Inuyasha and Kagome of the obstacle that the two had to overcome if they wanted to be together.

"We're engaged," Inuyasha replied softly.

Nara frowned when she noticed the sadness in his voice. The usual birght spark had left his eyes making them look dull and almost lifeless. She wished that he could have at least answered with a smile. Instead he made it sound like be engaged to her was the only thing in life that he hated.

"Well that's great!" Hojo replied enthusiastically, oblivious to the tension surrounding the table at the time.

"I think," Nara began slowly, "That we should order something."

* * *

Inuyasha forced a smile out when Nara wrapped her arms tightly around his waist. He was surprised when she squeezed his waist tightly and buried her face within his chest. He looked down at the girl and found her eyes shut tightly and her mouth pulled down into a frown.

"Oi Nara, you feeling alright?" Inuyasha asked and looked down at her with concerned eyes.

"Please," she whispered almost desperately, "Let me just hold on to you for a while."

Inuyasha stared at the young woman in surprise before he nodded his head and allowed his arms to wrap around her tiny frame. Nara let out a sigh before she allowed her body to relax and enjoy the warmth coming from his body.

* * *

Kagome stumbled down the pavement. Her feet felt like they currently didn't belong to her as her body swayed from side to side. She cursed herself for drinking too much alcohol at the restaurant. It seemed like a good idea at the time. She continued drinking with every question Nara asked about her and Hojo and every glare she received from Inuyasha.

Hojo had not too long parted from her. She had convinced him that it would be okay for her to go home alone. After much doubt he agreed with her at last giving her time to think as she walked home. Unfortunately Kagome hadn't done much thinking. Most of her focus was on trying to walk without falling.

"If only Inuyasha hadn't been there then things would have gone a lot better," Kagome said loudly. She sighed and closed her eyes as a cool wind blew causing her hair to whip around her face. How she longed to be out of this situation but she knew that she was already in too deep to get out of it. Her love for Inuyasha prevented her from getting out.

'If only I hadn't met him…' Kagome immediately stopped herself. What in the heck was she thinking? 'But if I had never known him I wouldn't be feeling this hurt everyday….'

Kagome stopped her walk and stared at her feet. She had so many contradicting thoughts going through her head right now that she was beginning to have a very painful headache. She felt her body once again sway from side to side. Slowly the young woman brought her hand up to her forehead. She was beginning to feel extremely dizzy. Kagome didn't know what happened immediately after that. All she knew was that her world soon turned black.

* * *

Sesshoumaru delicately ran the tip of his index finger against his smooth, almost feminine like chin. He tapped his fingers on the desk as he carefully went through the document before him. There was a large possibility that it was the real thing but then again…

"Daddy, Daddy!"

Sesshoumaru watched with interest as his nine-year-old daughter came running into his study. He closed his eyes and sighed. Once again she ignored his request that she knock before entering the room.

"Look what Rin made!"

The child quickly dashed up to him, with her cheeks a rosy red and her hair whipping from side to side. When she did arrive before him, she immediately held out both of her tiny hands, and stared at him with those adorable brown eyes, indicating to her adopted father that she desired to sit on his lap.

With little effort the father lifted his daughter up and placed her on his lap. He raised one eyebrow, indicating that he was curious about her sudden dash into the room. Smiling, the young girl held out a paper with what seemed to be colorful squiggles on it. He tilted his head to the side as he attempted to make out what the thing was.

"It's Sesshy and Uncle Yasha!" she said excitedly. Small fingers pointed to what seemed to be the taller figure. "There's daddy!" she shifted her finger to where the red figure was, "And that's Uncle Yasha!"

"What are we doing in the picture?" he asked in his usual calm voice.

"You're hugging!" she replied cheerfully. "Because Uncle Yasha came back to the house after a long time and daddy was so happy to see him!"

Sesshouamaru's left eye twitched. The child certainly had a wild imagination. He stared once again at the drawing. It was then he managed to make out both himself and Inuyasha in an embrace. He shuddered when he saw tiny hearts surrounding them.

"Does daddy like Rin's drawing?"

Sesshoumaru stared at the picture and paused. He didn't know what to say in this situation. The girl often cried very easily. He had remembered on her fifth birthday that she had cried for almost an hour because he didn't want to blow out the candles with her. He had to think through what he would say to her carefully.

"It's very imaginative," he replied.

"Imaginative?" the young girl questioned and tilted her head to the side. It was obvious she didn't know what the word meant.

"It's very unique," Sesshoumaru said, not wanting to go into an explanation of what imaginative meant. "I've never thought I would see anything like it before."

"Yay!" Rin said before jumping excitedly into her father's arms. "Rin loves daddy the most!"

The man sighed before slowly wrapping his arms around his daughter. Indeed he felt strangely calm when he was around this child. Her bubbly attitude towards things and the way she always seemed to brighten up when he was around did make him feel like an official father. Rin would always be his little girl… no matter how much he would deny it.

* * *

Pain was the first thing that was recognizable when Kagome finally gained consciousness. Then the darkness that was surrounding her slowly began to fade away letting the light shine directly in her eyes. The young woman blinked several times before she fully took in her surroundings.

There was absolutely nothing familiar about this place she was in. The first thing that caught her full attention was the decorated ceiling. There were tiny birds; each seemed to be pained with utmost care perching on the petals of large blood red roses.

She removed her eyes from the ceiling and attempted to examine the room. The room was dimly lit by an almost orange colored light, which gave the golden walls a breathtaking glow. The walls seemed to be decorated with care for there were large paintings, most of them showing a different angle a lake.

Kagome used both hands to push her body up into a sitting position. The fabric underneath her fingertips was soft and unbelievingly smooth. She slowly ran her hands on the bed sheets before bringing her hand to rest on her forehead. There was a slight throbbing there. She massaged the area for a short period of time before allowing her hand to drop to her lap.

When Kagome looked down at herself she was rather surprised to see herself in an oversized, white T-shirt. It was then when she began to question what had happened earlier. It took the college student some time before she recalled the awkward dinner that she had gone through with Nara, Hojo and Inuyasha. The last thing that she had remembered was the feel of the cold pavement against her cheek.

"I passed out again?" Kagome questioned softly and rested her palm on her cheek. Maybe this situation was occurring too frequently. This was the second time something like this had happened in only three weeks. She sighed before her attention was turned once again to the extravagant bedroom that she was in.

Her eyes immediately caught sight of another painting but somehow this one was different. Allowing her curiosity to lead her, Kagome crawled off the large bed and padded towards the painting that seemed to be isolated in a corner of the bedroom.

It was when she got closer that it occurred to Kagome that this was no painting she was looking at, but a simple photograph. Like the others this picture showed a lake but instead there was a little boy sitting at the edge, his back turned to the camera and kneeling beside the boy seemed to be a young woman. Her face too was hidden. All Kagome cold see were long, dark tresses, tumbling below the woman's waist.

Without thinking Kagome brushed her hand against the photograph. Her fingers gently brushed against the young boy's head before she gently outlined the mountains surrounding the lake.

"Kagome?"

The young woman's head darted around to the sound of the voice. Relief instantly flooded her body when she saw the face of Inuyasha. He was currently wearing only his boxers, giving Kagome a full view of his bare chest.

"What are you looking at?" he asked and walked over to her. His golden eyes peered into the picture for a short time before he turned his gaze to her.

"You should be lying down right now," he commented calmly.

Kagome gasped when he easily lifted her off the ground and rested her on the soft, satin sheets. She landed on the bed with a soft thud. Her eyes slowly rose up to look at Inuyasha who was now resting a large hand on her forehead.

"Here drink this," he said gruffly and handed her a glass of clear water. Kagome hesitantly took the glass. She was about to question how she had gotten her but one look from Inuyasha made her forget her words.

Slowly, she brought the glass to her lips and drank half of the water inside of it. When she was finished Inuyasha took the glass from her and rested in the nightstand. It seemed that he was about to leave when he turned his back to her but Kagome desperately wanted to spend some time with him.

"Inuyasha," she whispered.

"What is it?" he asked in a rather hash tone. Kagome winched at his tone of voice before swinging her legs off the bed and making her way towards him.

Gently, Kagome encircled her arms around the young man from behind. She closed her eyes and rested her head on his firm back. She knew what was wrong, he was obviously angry at her because of the Hojo situation and she intended to fix things for there was nothing she hated more than when Inuyasha was mad at her.

"I'm sorry," she said softly. "I didn't mean for that to happen."

Inuyasha grunted but made to move to return her affectionate gesture.

"How long have you known that Hojo guy?" he asked immediately after.

"A couple of years," Kagome answered. She made sure not to hesitate for she knew that if there were the slight pause in any of her answers, Inuyasha would immediately suspect something. "We dated in high school."

"I see," he commented coldly. Kagome frowned at his current tone of voice. He still wasn't satisfied with her answer. Sighing, Kagome allowed both hands to drop to her sides. It made absolutely no sense trying to get rid of Inuyasha's anger. She should have known better than anyone that the best thing to do was to leave him by himself.

There was a long stretch of silence, where Kagome looked down at her toes, while Inuyasha stood tall, not moving fro his current position. The tension there was great and there was no way that Kagome could fix this one. She was indeed wrong to go to a fancy hotel with another guy when she was committed to Inuyasha.

"You worried me today," Inuyasha whispered, breaking the silence. Kagome looked up with surprised eyes and found Inuyasha now facing her.

"I worried you?" Kagome asked. She shut her eyes when Inuyasha caressed the side of her face. His thumb finger gently rubbed against her pale cheek in such a soothing manner that it made her forget all of her worries.

"When I was going to see you, I found you on the pavement. You didn't respond when I called you. Damn it for a second…. I thought you were…."

"I'm not," Kagome cut in. "I'm right here."

Kagome too was worried about her current situation. So many questions were running through her head when it occurred to her that she had fainted once more. Indeed she was quite a lucky girl to be found by Inuyasha. Things might have been terrible if she was found by a stranger or even worse, if she was left lying there.

She wrapped her arms around his waist. Inuyasha responded by crushing her body to his. She smiled when he kissed her forehead.

"I'm sorry," Kagome said for the second time.

"Just don't do that again."

She nodded and stared at him with a smile. Kagome found herself lost in his deep golden eyes. Before she had met him, Kagome never believed that eyes could speak to someone but Inuyasha was living proof that they did. Right now the golden depths of his eyes were whispering the words 'I love you' to her. Without hesitation Kagome moved up and pressed her lips to his, allowing all the warmth she usually felt when she was around him to cover her body.

* * *

A/N: I took long didn't it? I month I think but I'm all done with this chapter. I hope that you enjoyed it. Again there will be a delay in the release of the next chapter. School again it preventing me from spending much time writing but I do keep my little notebook and scribble down ideas. So please be patient with me. I have mountains of work to do in a short period of time… it might take a while. Thanks to all my readers and most especially my reviewers. Without your support this story would not have gotten this far. Thank you very much! So please tell me what you think of this chapter… and constructive criticism is welcomed :)

Neogirl


	11. Confusion

Disclaimer: Inuyasha isn't mine…. how depressing --

Betrothed

Chapter 11- Confusion

* * *

Inuyasha shifted to his side when the bright rays of the sun filtered into the bedroom and on to his face. He groaned and used one hand to block out the light that was currently disturbing his sleep. His efforts seemed to be futile for he couldn't find a position on the large bed that prevented the light from shining on his eyes.

Letting out a number of obscenities Inuyasha pushed his body into a sitting position. When his eyes did adjust to the light it occurred to him that the woman who was earlier curled up next to him was absent from the bedroom. There was no possible way she could have gone home already. The silly girl didn't even know her way around the house. If she did leave she might get lost and then….

'I'd better go look for her. Who knows what could happen with her alone here,' Inuyasha thought and slid off the large bed. He quickly padded across the bedroom and was about to open the door when he spotted Kagome walking out of his bathroom with a white towel wrapped around her naked body.

"Inuyasha?" she questioned and tilted her head to the side. "Where are you going?"

Inuyasha sighed and moved his hand away from the doorknob. "Nowhere."

Kagome smiled at him and pulled the wet hair that clung on to her shoulders into a high bun. Water was currently running down her forehead and her back. It was beginning to make a large wet spot on the carpet.

"Where'd you put my clothes?" Kagome asked while scanning the room. A lecherous smirk came upon Inuyasha's face. Kagome raised her eyebrow at him before taking a cautious step back. "What are you looking at?"

"Why you leaving so soon, Kaggie?" Inuyasha asked teasingly before walking over to Kagome.

"Well I have to get home you know!"

Kagome folded her arms and glared at Inuyasha. He was currently giving that lecherous smile of his; it almost reminded her of the face Miroku made before saying something perverted. By his current expression Kagome immediately knew that she shouldn't have come out of the bathroom with only her towel on. She inwardly sighed as she realized that she had dug her own grave.

Inuyasha's hand slowly rested on Kagome's neck before her slid his hand up to caress her face. Kagome stood frozen, butterflies going through her stomach and her mind currently empty. Her heart began beating rapidly in her chest when Inuyasha's lips brushed against hers.

Kagome's eyes fluttered open to stare at the man before her. He was currently smiling and his golden eyes were practically gleaming with what seemed to be satisfaction. Kagome didn't get any time to think of anything to say for his lips were locked with hers once again. His hand moved away from her cheek and came around her tiny waist in order to pull her closer.

"I love you" he whispered and bumped noses with her. Kagome's face immediately turned red. Every time he whispered those three simple words Kagome couldn't help but blush. Not only because he said he loved her but also because of the care and love that were present when he said it.

"Inuyasha," Kagome whispered and closed her eyes when his lips met with her wet neck.

"Kagome," he mumbled against her neck, "Do you love me?"

Kagome's heart skipped a beat. "Hai. I love you."

"Then," he began and planted a kiss on her lips before continuing. "Why do you want to leave me? Don't you want to spend the rest of the day with me?"

Kagome didn't get a chance to reply right away for Inuyasha once again began kissing her. His hands slid down her waist and stopped at her outer thighs. The places where he touched were currently tingling. It was then when Kagome caught on where this was going. Using all her will power Kagome gently pushed Inuyasha away.

"I can't," she said and looked down at her toes. She didn't want to see the frown that Inuyasha was currently giving her.

"Why?" The disappointment in his voice was obvious. A pang of guilt ran though Kagome's body.

"Because," she began slowly, "I've got this thing with Nara-chan to go to later."

Kagome looked up to see Inuyasha's facial expression. It seemed that all the emotion had left his face. His eyes especially had turned into a dull mustard yellow. She had never actually seen him look at her like that before and it sent a chill up her spine.

"Gomen nasi," Kagome mumbled and looked down at her feet once again.

"You don't have to apologize. She's your cousin after all."

* * *

Nara looked down at her delicate hands, which were currently resting on her lap. A sudden depression had hit her recently. The root of that depression was obvious. As the time passed by Nara's feelings developed more for her fiancé but the more love she felt for him, the harder it was becoming for her to be around him. By observation, the kindergarten teacher knew that Inuyasha didn't feel the same. She knew it, but she could never accept it.

She lifted her eyes to stare at the children that were currently playing in the park around her. It almost seemed funny. Here she was in the mist of so much happiness but she felt immense sorrow. How she wished that Inuyasha was sitting next to her, his arms wrapped around her shoulders and for once she would see a smile on his face.

The young woman was pulled out of her thoughts when a young girl came up to her. The girl had light brown locks that tumbled midway down her back and her eyes were an alluring green. Nara tilted her head to the side and stared at the child curiously. Normally she would have smiled immediately at the little girl but right now she didn't have that joy within her. With a smile the child held out what seemed to be a weed to Nara.

"You looked sad," the young girl began, "My mommy says flowers always make people happy."

This time Nara managed a smile and took the tiny plant from the child. Nara rested one hand on the girl's head.

"Thank you. It makes me very happy."

The young girl beamed at Nara, "Yup!"

Nara watched with a smile as the small child ran over to the sandbox, where it seemed that she was playing before. This was the happiest the young woman had felt for what seemed to be the entire week. Slowly she twirled the small plant between her fingers. Who knew that a 'flower' from a child could bring such joy to a weary heart?

"Nara-chan!"

Nara looked up immediately and saw her cousin walking rather quickly towards her. Kagome was dressed in a plain blue jeans and a simple black shirt. Her dark hair was flowing freely down her back.

"Gomen nasi!" Kagome said hastily while panting. Nara stood up upon her cousin's arrival. Kagome's reaction made Nara's smile widen.

"It's alright. I didn't mind waiting," Nara said with a smile and absently twirled the plant between her fingers once more. Kagome looked at her cousin strangely before smiling back.

"So you said you wanted to talk about something," Kagome stated and took a seat on the bench that Nara was previously seated on.

Nara's smile immediately dropped off her face, and she once again gained that solemn look from before. Nara took a seat next to Kagome and stared once again at the children playing. The current environment greatly contradicted with her state of mind.

"It's about Inuyasha," Nara began softly before pausing. She took in a deep breath before continuing. "I need help."

* * *

Sesshoumaru carefully re-read the document in his hand. There was no possible way that he was going to take this small piece of paper in his hand lightly. His brother had asked him for a favor and Sesshoumaru had felt so pitiful for him that he had no choice but to comply.

Without a doubt Sesshoumaru never agreed with his brother on anything. Even when they were children they hardly spoke. If there happened to be a small conversation, it would erupt in violence. Sesshoumaru had long grown out of wanting to attack his brother at ever glance. Of course there were times when he wished that he could deliver a hard slap behind Inuyasha's head but he never acted upon his urges. Inuyasha, however had gotten worse, or so it seemed. Just tow days ago Inuyasha was about to attack his brother but was stopped when Rin ran into the room, wanting to show off another drawing of hers.

With a frown Sesshoumaru stared at the signatures at the end of the paper.

"This," he began softy before rubbing his fingers against his chin, "This is going to become even more complicated for him."

* * *

Inuyasha shifted uncomfortably as he felt Sango's brown eyes burning a hole in the middle of his forehead. She was defiantly scary when she became angry. Inuyasha pulled his eyes away from Sango and looked over at his friend Miroku. His former roommate was calmly sipping on some green tea.

"So how have you been, Inuyasha?' Miroku inquired after a long stretch of silence and took another sip of his tea.

Inuyasha eyes darted over to Sango before he looked down at the table seemly separating Sango from lunging herself at him and digging her fingernails into the skin of his neck.

"I'm a bit confused," Inuyasha admitted with a sigh, his eyes no longer meeting his friends'. Inuyasha's heart plunged when he thought about the possibility of him never being able to be with Kagome freely. He was constantly tied down because of Nara. "Damn it! I don't know what to do about _her_!"

"Both you and Kagome," Sango said and paused. Inuyasha looked up at Sango, surprised that she had actually said something to him, given the fact that she was upset. Sango was now looking at him seriously, although Inuyasha clearly saw the anger blazing within her eyes. Sango continued after a long pause, "Both of you need to figure out how badly you want to be together and how far you'll go to do so. If you don't really know, then you're both wasting time and hurting each other more in the process."

Inuyasha stared at Sango with wide eyes. Kagome had often told him that Sango seemed to know how to analyze situations well and how to deal with them appropriately but he had never known that she was this good at it.

"She's right, you know. Both you and Kagome are confused about what you need to do," Miroku paused and took another sip of his tea before continuing, "If you truly love her, then you should automatically know what is to be done."

"I know what I want to do! I want to break off the arrangement with Nara!" Inuyasha retorted.

"So you say but are you willing to hurt Nara's feelings in the process?" Sango questioned and locked eyes with Inuyasha. Inuyasha averted his eyes. He knew the answer to that question and it seemed that Sango and Miroku did too.

"You'd better hurry up and figure out what you really want to do!" Sango snapped and glared at Inuyasha. "I will under no circumstances allow you to hurt Kagome! The longer you take the more she hurts and I swear if you hurt her I'll beat your…."

"Sango, my dear," Miroku cut her off calmly and rubbed her back. He took another sip of his tea before speaking. "You cannot go threatening Inuyasha like that. It's not very nice of you to do when he's like this."

"Of course you'll say that! You're taking all of this lightly, sipping your tea like if this isn't an important issue dealing both of our friends here!" Sango argued and pulled the cup out of Miroku's fingers.

Inuyasha lowered his eyes. He ignored the arguing couple in the background and allowed his mind to drift off to Kagome. The things Sango had said made him think. Was Kagome really hurting the longer this stretched on? If he wasn't willing to hurt Nara's feelings then how exactly was he going to get out of his arrangement? Both Sango and Miroku were right, he needed to figure out what he had to do in order to be with Kagome.

* * *

A/N: Yes short, I know but look on the bright side. I might update soon because school's out but I still have classes to go to and I've got homework for the break so I ask once again for your patience. Thank you for all your reviews. I really do appreciate them. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it and I hope that you leave your comments about this chapter too. :)

Neogirl


	12. No One Said That Love…

Disclaimer: Still I do not have Inuyasha within my grasp but soon Neogirl will own it and with that power I shall rule the anime and manga world forever!

Betrothed

Chapter 12- No One Said That Love…

* * *

The world around Kagome seemed to come to a standstill. The words that Nara had previously uttered were echoing in her head. Her fingers dug into her blue jeans. It was then, for a long time that Kagome recalled that Nara was the one engaged to Inuyasha. Kagome's relationship with Inuyasha was nothing more than an affair.

"Help, with Inuyasha?" Kagome managed to get out. She didn't mean for it to come out as a question nor did she mean for her voice to quiver at the end. She kept her eyes focused on her lap, hoping that Nara would not notice her current state.

"Yes," Nara began. There was a silence between the two girls for a long period of time. Kagome couldn't say anything, and if she could she knew it wouldn't be the right words for Nara at this time. Kagome took a deep breath before looking at Nara.

Her cousin was currently staring strait ahead of them. Nara looked like if she was in a daze. Her delicate fingers on her left hand were clenched into a tight fist while her left hand was twirling a tiny plant between her fingers. It wasn't long before her blue eyes had turned glassy.

"I…. I love him so much," Nara whispered and allowed the tears that she had harbored for so long to flow down her cheeks. Kagome felt as if Nara had repeatedly stabbed her in the heart. Nara's confession about Inuyasha to Kagome had caused the young adult to once again go into shock. Kagome brought her hand up to her chest when she felt a sharp pain develop there.

"I just feel…. I want him to love me back… more than anything."

Nara was sobbing now. Kagome couldn't comfort her. For the first time she felt anger towards Nara for loving the person who Kagome wanted to be with more than anything. This anger would have overwhelmed her if not for the sound of Nara crying next to her.

Hesitantly Kagome reached out and touched Nara's hair. Despite the battle raging within her, Kagome smiled at her cousin. Nara looked up at Kagome with surprise. Kagome smoothened the hair sticking out from Nara's head before speaking in the sturdiest voice that she could muster.

"Hey," Kagome began and slowly wiped away the tears sliding down Nara's cheeks with her fingers. "I'm sure, that if he doesn't love you, he'll definitely grow to love you in time. Sometimes in love you've got to wait for the other person."

Nara looked at Kagome with wide eyes. The tears were still flowing but Kagome could tell that Nara had become hopeful. Kagome felt guilt enter her. She was only giving Nara false hope. Inuyasha had told her that Nara was like a sister to him. It was also obvious by the way he reacted when Nara's name was simply mentioned. He didn't want to be with her.

"Now, what do you need my help with?" Kagome asked and dropped her hands to her lap.

"I think… you helped me already," Nara said and smiled. "I'll remain hopeful, and I'll try my best to stay patient with him!"

Nara happily embraced her cousin and Kagome returned the hug, half-heartedly. She had dug an even deeper hole for herself now.

'Kagome no baka! What have you done now?'

"Would you mind if I come to you whenever things get too hard?" Nara asked.

"I don't mind at all. I really just want you to be happy with him."

She was a liar.

* * *

"_Inuyasha?"_

_Nara watched as the young man turned around to face her. His golden eyes slowly moved to look into her eyes, causing the sixteen-year-old's heart to beat strongly within her chest. For a moment, Nara had almost forgotten what she was about to ask him. The way his eyes seemed to glitter with every word he spoke, and how his hair seemed to move, even with the slightest bit of wind was enough to make any girl swoon at the sight of him. _

"_Nani?" he inquired after a long period of silence between the two. _

"_Ah, well, I," she paused, while trying to find the right words to say to him. She let out a sigh and rubbed the back of her head with her right hand. "I forgot."_

_Inuyasha stared at Nara for what seemed to be an eternity. When Nara felt the heat forming on her cheeks, she looked down, hoping that he wouldn't notice her obvious blush. She fiddled with the hem of her school skirt, in an attempt to distract her mind from the fact that Inuyasha was looking at her. _

_She didn't really know when these feelings had started emerging. In the past she only considered him to be a good friend. Maybe these feelings had stared just last summer, after he had come back from living with his older brother, Sesshoumaru. She had remembered the day when he had come off the bus, looking completely different from the short, grumpy boy that she had known. Nara didn't quite know at what time she had noticed he had become extremely good looking but whenever she was around him now, her heart would beat harder, and faster than normal._

"_You're a pretty weird kid, you know that?"_

_Nara immediately removed her attention from her skirt to look up at Inuyasha. He was smirking at her and his hand was currently resting on her head. Nara knew that her face was probably a bright red by now, she just hoped that Inuyasha didn't notice. _

"_I'm not a kid anymore, you know," Nara mumbled and attempted to frown at him. It failed miserably for Inuyasha chuckled and ruffled her hair. _

"_Of course you're not, you're all grown up now aren't you?"_

"_Well," she began softly and again tried to scowl at him, "If I'm still a kid, that means you're still one too. After all, Inuyasha, you're only two years older than I am!"_

_Inuyasha leaned over towards Nara. For a second the young girl thought that he was about to kiss her, but he stopped only halfway and playfully bumped foreheads with her. _

"_Is that so, little Nara? Well then I'm sorry, you're most definitely a big girl now. I'll start treating you that way, okay?"_

_Nara couldn't react. His face was so close that she could feel his breath on her face. For a moment she contemplated on whether she should lean forward and kiss him but he moved away before she could do anything. _

--

Nara started at the number on the screen of her cell phone. She had been doing so for a long time, contemplating on whether she should call Inuyasha or not. Kagome's words had given her a new found confidence.

_**"I'm sure, that if he doesn't love you, he'll definitely grow to love you in time. Sometimes in love you've got to wait for the other person."**_

Nara frowned as she thought about Kagome's words. They were sensible, yes but….

"I'm not so sure if I could wait any longer," Nara whispered and dialed Inuyasha's number.

* * *

Sesshoumaru stared at the man sitting on a lounge chair, in his study. Inuyasha seemed to be rather comfortable in the position that he was in. His hands were folded behind his back and his bare feet were resting on a nearby chair.

"What?" Inuyasha snapped when he noticed Sesshoumaru wasn't speaking.

Inuyasha was definitely not in a good mood at the time. After he had returned home, following his conversation with Sango and Miroku, he had decided it would be best to take a short nap to deal with the stress he was now experiencing. It was about an hour into his sleep when a maid had woken Inuyasha to inform him that Sesshoumaru wanted to see him.

Sesshoumaru sighed. His face was still a mask, covering all the emotion that was deep within him. Inuyasha's older brother looked down at his desk, before taking up a paper and handing it to Inuyasha.

"What's this?" Inuyasha inquired and snatched the paper from Sesshoumaru's fingers. His eyes scanned the piece of paper several times but yet he didn't fully understand what it was about. He looked up at Sesshoumaru after a while, indicating for his older brother to explain the situation.

"It's a document. Well, more like a contract."

Inuyasha's body froze. Sesshoumaru didn't need to say anymore. That was enough for Inuyasha to understand what his brother meant. The reality of the situation hit Inuyasha harder than a ton of bricks. It couldn't be? This wasn't how he wanted it. He started down at the paper before him and could clearly see his parents' signature written in black ink.

'Damn it, what am I going to do?' Inuyasha asked himself before sliding his fingers through his long, sliver hair. He could suddenly feel a throbbing pain coming from his forehead.

"But," Sesshouamru began, breaking the silence. " I must confirm it with the courts. Even if it is legal, there is a chance that there may be faults. I shall investigate for you."

Inuyasha nodded and leaned back into the sofa. He could feel his heart throbbing with a severe amount of pain. He hoped that this whole situation was a terrible dream and that he would be shaken awake at this very moment.

'Kagome…'

Inuyasha's thoughts were interrupted when the sound of his cell phone ringing came into his ears. He sighed and hesitantly reached for it. There was no need for him to look at the caller id, for Inuyasha already knew who it was.

* * *

There was hardly anything that Kagome hated more than crying. She disliked almost everything about it. Usually when she cried, Kagome would normally lock herself into her room and lay on her bed until she had stopped. Here she was, doing it now.

It didn't take long for the young girl to break into tears. Maybe it was only about a half an hour after she had arrived home, the tears began falling. She had rushed up to her room and locked the door. It had reminded her of the past. Whenever something upset her, she would always hide when she cried. She also hated for others to see her cry for she would only worry them.

"Why am I crying anyway?" Kagome asked herself and rubbed her face with the back of her hand, "It's not like I didn't know."

'Even if you knew that she loved him, it hurt you more to hear it from Nara,' Kagome suddenly thought. She shook her head violently and sat up on the bed. Here she was acting like a child, who had just gotten dumped by someone. She had promised herself a while ago that she would remain strong in this situation.

"But," she whispered and ran her fingers on the satin sheets of her bed, " I should really talk to him about this."

For approximately a half an hour Kagome debated on whether she should call Inuyasha to talk about their situation together. It seemed that for that short space of time, Kagome had almost forgotten that Inuyasha was engaged. She had been so happy with him, thinking that he only belonged to her, and her alone.

'Even though his heart belongs to me, part of him will always remain with Nara…'

Kagome dug her nails into the sheets underneath her fingers. She was once again feeling the burning sensation from behind her eyes. She clenched her eyes shut and gritted her teeth together in an attempt to prevent the tears from falling. It was all in vain, for she felt them rolling down her cheeks. Kagome's delicate hand immediately reached up and roughly brushed away the tears.

"I will not cry," she said to herself and rubbed her eyes until she was sure that there were no more tears left in them. Suddenly the twenty-year-old felt extreme anger towards herself for being so weak, "Don't you dare cry!"

* * *

Sesshoumaru stared at the contract on his desk before him. He gently stroked his long finger against his smooth chin. The room was quiet after Inuyasha had left, giving the man time to think of what he could do to help his brother.

He didn't know what had come over him recently. Him wanting to help Inuyasha was rare, extremely rare. This was one of the few times he had felt pity for Inuyasha. The last time he offered to help was merely three years ago but Inuyasha had refused, saying he could handle the situation by himself. It was similar to a situation like this one.

'Funny how time repeats itself,' Sesshoumaru thought. He just hoped for Inuyasha's sake that he wouldn't make the same mistake as the last time.

The man turned around when he heard his young daughter groan. She was lying in a rather uncomfortable position on a lounge chair. Her tiny feet were brought up to her chest and her hands were used as a pillow. By her appearance, Sesshoumaru already concluded that the child was asleep. He moved his eyes towards the clock on the wall. It was already past nine, no wonder she had fallen asleep.

With a sigh, he moved across the room and lifted Rin off the chair. She only moved towards the new warmth that her body was receiving.

"I guess, it makes no sense giving that idiot false hope," Sesshoumaru said before moving out of the room.

* * *

A/N: Again, not very long but I hope it still was enjoyable. I'd like to wish all my readers a **Happy New Year!!! **I wish you all the best for 2007. Oh and a very late Merry Christmas. So, again school started back. This time I've only got a couple of months til the big exam, let's say about three months but no need to worry, I'll write as much as I can. Please tell me what you think. Ideas? E-mail them to me! Don't be shy, cause I will always answer the e-mails sent to me, that's bout it. Bye bye!

Neogirl


	13. Lips of An Angel

Disclaimer: Inuyasha… not mine. Got it? Good. '_Lips of Angel'_ does not belong to me either.

A/N: I actually was listening to Lips of An Angel by Hinder while writing part of this chapter. It really caught the tone of this story, I thought. This song is my inspiration for this chapter so if you can try listening to the song while you're reading the chapter. It might give a nice tone. **:-)**

Betrothed

Chapter 13- Lips of An Angel

* * *

Blue eyes followed Inuyasha as he made his way across the room. Nara sat rather stiffly on the soft, leather couch. Her nails were currently digging into her bare skin, and her body shook slightly, despite the warmth of the night's air. She focused her eyes in front of her and tried to clear her mind of all the thoughts swirling around in her head.

_Honey why you calling me so late  
It's kinda hard to talk right now_

She couldn't help but jump slightly when Inuyasha sat beside her. Slowly, she turned her eyes to look at him when he handed her a glass. He looked absolutely amazing with the lamp glowing against his face. Nara looked into his golden depths and almost drowned in them. Inuyasha put both hands behind his head and leaned against the couch.

"Why'd you call me over here so late? It's already, ten. Is it that important?" Inuyasha asked and started casually at the television.

_Honey why are you crying is everything okay  
I gotta whisper cause I can't be too loud  
Well, my girl's in the next room_

Nara felt uncomfortable now. Inuyasha obviously wasn't in a good mood at the time. She lowered her head and stared at her bare knees, which now had deep, crescent shaped marks on them.

'I shouldn't have called him over. I must be bothering him.'

Inuyasha seemed to notice Nara's silence.

"Oi, you okay?"

Nara found herself looking at concerned eyes. His large hand reached up and touched her forehead. Nara found herself turning red so she lowered her face. The way he cared for her was sweet, and it always made her heart beat wildly when he would care for her health but sometimes she felt that he only saw her as a friend.

Her delicate hand reached up and touched Inuyasha's large hand. Inuyasha looked down at her, obviously surprised by her gentle touch. Inuyasha looked at Nara's blue eyes to find them welling up with tears. She was also giving him an almost sad look, but it seemed different somehow.

"Inuyasha, I love you," she whispered and boldly moved closer to him. Inuyasha didn't know how to react to Nara's sudden advances. He assumed that it was only going to be a simple hug so he didn't make a move to push her away.

She rested both hands at the side of him and straddled his lap. Inuyasha was too shocked to react. He was further shocked when Nara pressed her lips on his. Her lounge managed to slip between his lips into his mouth, one of her hands moved up to cup his face while the other ran down his chest.

Inuyasha quickly grasped both sides of Nara's shoulders and pulled her away. He was almost too stunned to speak. He stared at the young woman before her.

_Sometimes I wish she was you  
I guess we never really moved on_

"What…."

Nara's face was red and she was gasping for air. Her eyes were glassy and tears were currently running down her pale face. She slowly reached up and caressed both sides of Inuyasha's face.

"I love you," she said once again before throwing her arms around his neck. She brought her lips to his ear before whispering to him. "Say you love me, Inuyasha… Please, stay with me tonight."

* * *

Kagome was woken up at two am from the loud ringing of her cell phone. She groaned and rolled over on her bed, regretting that she hadn't turned the damned contraption off. She blindly reached for the device and flipped it open.

"Whoever it is you'd better have a good reason for calling me so early," Kagome muttered and languidly sat up. She ran her fingers through her long, dark locks, impatiently waiting for a response.

_It's really good to hear your voice saying my name  
It sounds so sweet  
Coming from the lips of an angel  
Hearing those words it makes me weak_

"Kagome."

The college student's eyes widened and she was instantly awake.

"Inuyasha? What's the matter, why do you…."

"I'm outside, can I see you?"

Inuyasha sounded so strange. His voice had a slight quiver within it. It almost sounded that the great and mighty Inuyasha was about to break down.

"Yes, of course, I'll be right out," Kagome said and flipped the phone shut.

While Kagome covered her short nightgown with a jacket and slipped on a pair of slippers, her mind began to wander on Inuyasha. Never had she heard him sound that way before. After knowing him for a year Kagome thought she had seen all of him but this one was so unfamiliar that it made her uneasy.

She had made it outside in a mere two minutes, clutching the long coat to her body. With the sudden drop in temperature recently, Kagome was certain that fall was coming quickly.

She easily spotted Inuyasha, with his long hair blowing due to a strong wind. He was standing at the edge of the shine steps, seemly looking at the view of the city.

_Hearing those words it makes me weak  
And I never wanna say goodbye  
But girl you make it hard to be faithful  
With the lips of an angel_

Kagome walked up behind him and touched his broad back. He immediately jumped and moved away. Kagome was surprised to see him looking at her with startled eyes. She reached out and stroked his cheek with one hand. His face was pale and his eyes seemed to be permanently widened.

"What's wrong?" Kagome asked and ran her index finger down his chin.

In an instant Kagome was in Inuyasha, warm embrace. His arms tightened rather uncomfortably around her waist as he attempted to get her body as close to his as humanly possible. Kagome tried to move her hands but they were trapped against Inuyasha's chest.

"Kagome," Inuyasha whispered and brought his head down to kiss her. The kiss stared off gentle at first, making Kagome's body relax into Inuyasha's tight embrace. It wasn't long before Inuyasha became more aggressive with the affectionate act and his hands began to slide up and down her small frame. Kagome opened her eyes widely and began to shift around uncomfortably. Inuyasha removed his lips from hers and placed open-mouthed kisses on her neck.

_It's funny that you're calling me tonight  
And yes I've dreamt of you too  
And does he know you're talking to me_

When he arrived at her collarbone, Kagome stopped him by gently pushing him away. She brought her hands up to her neck, where she was certain there were small red marks present.

"Why are you being like this?" Kagome asked and hesitantly took a step towards him.

Inuyasha held back the bangs that were in front of his head, while covering his face. He wasn't thinking clearly at the time and Kagome seemed to notice this too.

"Kagome, you know I love you right?"

Kagome cocked one head to the side and looked at Inuyasha. She was beginning to become worried now.

"Yes, I know."

"And… you feel the same way, don't you?"

Kagome touched his arm and looked up at him. Why was he suddenly acting to insecure?

"You know I do."

Inuyasha slid his hand down his face and looked down at Kagome seriously. This caused Kagome's heart to beat faster. Something was definitely coming and she sensed it wasn't something to rejoice over.

"Tonight, Nara…"

_Will it start a fight  
No I don't think she has a clue  
Well my girl's in the next room  
Sometimes I wish she was you_

* * *

Sesshoumaru looked at his sleeping daughter. She had once again stayed in his study, refusing to leave until he did. This seemed to be a familiar routine of theirs. He had told himself he would stop working so late for the child's sake, but it had yet to happen. He mentally noticed that he needed to a small bed or futon in the bedroom for his daughter to rest on.

He massaged his temples with his long fingers. He was definitely under a lot of pressure and Inuyasha's love issues added to the chaos of his life. He had gone through a lot to confirm the documents and had come to a conclusion. He was ready to reveal the documents to Inuyasha but his baka brother had yet to return home.

Sesshoumaru knelt down before the soft sofa where Rin lay sleeping. He gently smoothened down the hairs that were sticking up in her hair. He softly shook the small body, waking the child. Rin opened her brown eyes and looked at Sesshoumaru.

_I guess we never really moved on  
It's really good to hear your voice saying my name  
It sounds so sweet_

"Time for bed. Go ahead and bathe and I'll meet you in your room after I'm finished with something," Sesshoumaru said. To many, that command would seem cold and his voice would be too harsh for a child but to Rin, that was a soft request.

She sat up on the couch smiling, her eyes suddenly sparkling. "Does that mean daddy will read me a story?"

Sesshoumaru didn't bother to answer, for he knew he had no choice in the matter. If Rin didn't get a story read to her then there would defiantly be tears involved.

"Alice In Wonderland! Can daddy read that story to me?"

Sesshoumaru nodded with a sigh and received and brief hug from his daughter before she rushed out of the study, to take a bath.

When Rin left the room Sesshoumaru walked to the phone resting on his desk and dialed Inuyasha's number.

* * *

It was rather dirty on the large sakura tree that Kagome used to lie under when she was younger. This was different from her previous times though. Inuyasha was with her. He was rather close to her but Kagome felt so far away from him.

_Coming from the lips of an angel  
Hearing those words it makes me weak  
And I never wanna say goodbye  
_

There had been a long silence between them after Inuyasha explained Nara's attempts to take it to the next level with Inuyasha. Kagome had nothing to say about it nor could she think of anything to say about it. Inuyasha felt uneasy so he kept silent.

_But girl you make it hard to be faithful  
With the lips of an angel_

"I loved to come and lean against this tree when I was little," Kagome whispered breaking the almost half an hour-long silence between them. Inuyasha looked at her and found the young woman looking up, most likely looking at the tree's long branches. Her body moved closer to Inuyasha and she rested her head on his shoulder. "It was almost like this tree was my source of comfort. Did I ever tell you that my father left our family when I was only eleven?"

Inuyasha looked down at Kagome. He was surprised at her confession. Kagome's fingers digging into her legs and her body shook for a brief moment.

"I thought he had…."

_It's really good to hear your voice saying my name  
It sounds so sweet  
Coming from the lips of an angel  
Hearing those words it makes me weak_

"Died? No. It's funny that everyone thinks that. The morning after he left, I came and I sat under this tree. All I wanted was to escape the sound of my mother crying and this tree… was my escape," Kagome chuckled, "I always thought that if I cried enough, he would come back… but he never did."

Inuyasha watched as Kagome's tears slid down her cheeks. Despite the tears she was still smiling but the smile was empty. Inuyasha reached out and took one of Kagome's hands in his. Her hands were cold, and they were trembling. Inuyasha doubted that she was trembling because of the cold. He brought her hand up to his lips and delivered a kiss on each finger.

Kagome raised her head and looked up at Inuyasha with tear filled brown eyes. She was no longer smiling but now was frowning at him.

_And I never wanna say goodbye  
But girl you make it hard to be faithful  
With the lips of an angel_

"I…. I don't want you to desert me like my outo-san did," Kagome confessed and looked into Inuyasha surprised eyes. She lowered her head and allowed the sobs to shake her body. "I'm afraid… that you'll leave me and when you marry Nara, you'll be out of my life forever." Her whole body was trembling now. She looked terrified. Inuyasha could only pull Kagome's body closer to his. "We only now found each other. I don't…. I don't… I can't loose you. I can't…"

"Hey," Inuyasha began and grasped her chin, forcing her to look up at him. Her face had turned red and her body was still shaking violently. He lightly kissed her lips. "You're not going to lose me Kagome. I'll always be here to protect you. I want to be with you alone."

Kagome's eyes widened. "Inuyasha…"

"When I get out of this thing with Nara, I promise we'll have the best life together."

Kagome moved her eyes away from Inuyasha's for a moment. Inuyasha raised one eyebrow, wondering what could be bothering her. He kissed her forehead, encouraging her to speak her mind. Kagome looked up at Inuyasha seriously.

"Hey… what if…"

_And I never wanna say goodbye  
But girl you make it so hard to be faithful  
With the lips of an angel_

Kagome stopped speaking when she felt something vibrating. Inuyasha released Kagome's chin and look his phone out of his pocket. Kagome's stomach sank when she saw Inuyasha looking at the id. She hoped that it wasn't Nara calling Inuyasha. Inuyasha swore and rolled his eyes.

"It's that bastard, Sesshoumaru!" Inuyasha grumbled. He looked over at Kagome. "What is it you wanted to tell me?"

Kagome stared at Inuyasha for a long period of time before shaking her head. She had somehow managed a smile.

"It's nothing important."

_Honey why you calling me so late_

* * *

A/N: Wow this chapter was pretty intense for me! Lots of emotion I tried to give here. So can you guys tell me what your thoughts are? I really appreciate those who reviewed the last chapter. Thank you all so much for reading! So wait patiently and I'll update soon.Translations 

Outo-san- Father

Sakura-Cherry Blossom

Neogirl


	14. Only With You I Feel Happy

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Inuyasha!

Betrothed

Chapter 14- Only With You I Feel Happy

* * *

Nara ran her long, slender fingers on the blue satin sheets. There was a slight bit of warmth remaining on the area next to her. A smile found its way upon her face as she remembered Inuyasha once more. She closed her eyes slowly and inhaled the soapy, clean scent that her sheets now gave off. She loved the way he smelled and was happy that tonight she would be surrounded by his scent.

Her cheeks turned crimson as memories from only a few hours before returned to her mind. She still couldn't believe that she had done something completely out of her nature. With Inuyasha before she was shy and always uncertain about what to do but now she had attained a large amount of confidence seeing that he hadn't rejected her advances.

They didn't do anything intimate. All Nara had asked was for Inuyasha to lie next to her. During that time Inuyasha simply stared emotionlessly at the ceiling. Nara didn't turn her eyes away from him like she did before. Instead she looked at him, taking in every single feature that he had on his beautiful face and at one point she reached out and stroked his cheek, while muttering an 'I love you' to him. It was only an hour later that Inuyasha announced that he had to return home to take care of some business.

Nara frowned and rolled over to the spot where Inuyasha had previously lain. It seemed that he always had to take care of some businesses recently. She had noticed that his face showed more signs of worry with each passing day. She did not dare ask him, hoping that he would come to her when he was ready.

"Next time, I'll make sure you open up to me, Inuyasha," Nara whispered as a smile slowly returned to her face.

* * *

It was only about two weeks since Nara had made her advances at Inuyasha when Inuyasha and Kagome had actually gotten time to spend together. The sun was slowly making it's decent in the sky when the young couple had met on an almost abandoned beach.

Kagome had put on a pair of blue jeans and a pink striped shirt. She had pulled her long, dark hair into a messy bun and she had made sure not to wear any makeup, after hearing Inuyasha tell her that she looked prettier without it.

By the time Kagome had arrived Inuyasha was already sitting on a boulder close to where the waves were breaking. He had on a simple red T shirt and a pair of dark blue jeans with white sneakers on his feet. Kagome couldn't help but blush as she stared at the handsome man before her.

It seemed that Inuyasha had sensed Kagome's eyes on him for he turned in her direction. His golden eyes gleamed as he caught sight of her but despite the life she saw in his eyes he still had a large frown on his face.

"What took you so long to get here, wench?" Inuyasha growled as Kagome sat beside him.

Kagome glared at Inuyasha before playfully punching his arm, "I thought you'd at least be happy to see me!"

Inuyasha's look softened as he lowered his head down to hers. He rested his forehead on hers and lightly kissed her tiny nose. By the time Kagome had opened her eyes, Inuyasha was grinning at her. Kagome felt her insides flutter as he placed another kiss on her forehead.

"You could at least say you're happy to see me," Kagome whispered right before Inuyasha's lips covered her own. Inuyasha's hand moved to Kagome's back to bring her closer while Kagome rested her arms on Inuyasha's shoulder.

"I missed you," Kagome admitted when they parted. She lowered her eyes and a frown etched her features, "I feel that I never get to see you anymore. The time that we spend apart is becoming longer every time."

Inuyasha sighed and held Kagome's small body. What she spoke of was the truth. Recently Nara wanted to spend every moment with him, limiting his time with Kagome. He had missed her too maybe even more than she missed him but he didn't say anything about it, hoping not to add to Kagome's recent worries.

"If you go on like this you'll get sick," Inuyasha whispered to Kagome and planted a kiss on her forehead. He was relived when he heard a slight chuckle come from her.

"Well if you wish sickness on me it just might happen!"

Inuyasha smiled slightly at Kagome and allowed her to move away from him. She was currently staring that the sun setting in the distance. A calm expression had returned to her face and it put Inuyasha at ease to know that for that short space of time she wasn't worrying about anything. He hated to see her eyes glimmer with worry and small lines to appear on her forehead. It was worse knowing that he was the cause of her worries.

"It's nice here," Kagome whispered and closed her eyes when the wind whipped against her face. She brought her legs up to her chest and rested her chin gently on her knees. "We should come here more often, together."

"Kagome…"

"How's Nara," Kagome asked suddenly, her eyes still focused on the scenery before her. "I haven't spoken to her for a while."

Inuyasha was surprised at Kagome's question. The question seemed to come out of the blue at first but when Inuyasha looked carefully at Kagome's face he could tell that she had been thinking about it for an extended period of time.

"She's doing alright. She said that she's been trying to call you but you have been hard to get on to," Inuyasha said slowly and looked in front of him, not wanting to see the look on Kagome's face as he spoke of his fiancé.

"I can't talk to her anymore," Kagome admitted softly and pressed her forehead against her knee caps.

After Kagome spoke there was silence. The sounds of the waves crashing against the rocks and the sounds of birds retreating to their nests were the only noises present. Never really had there been such quiet between the two for one of them always found something to say. Kagome hadn't expected that confession to come out of her lips so suddenly. She thought it would be best to keep that thought to herself but it was obviously too late for that.

After about ten minutes of no one speaking, Kagome felt Inuyasha's arms wrap around her lower back and pull her body closer to his. He rested his chin on her forehead and fully wrapped both arms around her body. She rested her head on his chest and continued to watch the sky as it began to turn from a golden, orange colour to a dark, grey hue.

During that time none of them spoke to each other. This was not because they were uncomfortable or tense but only because they felt comfortable in the quiet that they were experiencing. It was good for them, even though for a moment to escape the troubles that they were experiencing concerning their fight to be together.

When the sun had finally disappeared behind the horizon leaving no trace that it had been there only two hours before, Kagome stated to Inuyasha that she was tired.

"Do you want to go home then?" Inuyasha asked and looked down at her face. Kagome was smiling and since she could not look up at him properly her eyes were closed. Her messy bun had long ago come out leaving her waist length hair to tumble down her back.

"Iie, not at all. I want to stay here a little longer," she whispered and raised her head, indicating that she desired a kiss. Inuyasha smiled and gently pressed his lips against hers. Sparks shot through Kagome's body causing a slight shiver of excitement to run through her. She loved kissing Inuyasha. Every time his lips connected with hers she always felt a jolt of electricity and it always remained long after they would part.

Inuyasha moved his lips away from Kagome's and found its way on her chin and jaw. Kagome tilted her head backwards when Inuyasha's gentle kisses arrived at her neck. Inuyasha made a trail of kisses back up to her jaw before once again kissing her lips.

Kagome smiled when the kiss ended and gave Inuyasha a slow kiss on his cheek. Inuyasha grinned idiotically at Kagome. When she yawned softly Inuyasha scowled at her causing the smile to widen on Kagome's face for she knew what he was about to say next.

"Stupid, if you're tired you're supposed to be at home! I'll take you now."

"But I don't want to go home! I want to stay here with you!" Kagome complained playfully and wrapped her arms around Inuyasha. "Don't you want to stay with me?" This time she batted her eyelashes and pouted at him, knowing that he would give in if she were to look at him like that.

Inuyasha sighed and rested his hand on her back.

"I want to stay with you," he murmured and held her body close to his.

* * *

It was rather late when Sango was woken up from her slumber by her cell phone ringing on the night stand. She groaned and rolled over on her bed, debating on whether to pick up the device or not. With a sigh Sango picked up the phone, instantly resolving to put the person who was calling in his or her place.

Sango had had a rather long, tiring day. After spending the morning with Miroku and helping him decide on a new apartment, Sango spent the afternoon with her father and younger brother. She had com home to her room being covered in mud and torn fabric because of her small cat, Kirara. It took her more than an hour to clean it which drained the last of her energy.

After flipping the phone open and pressing the earpiece to her left ear Sango prepared herself to scold whoever was on the other line. Her motives were changed when she heard the voice of her roommate, Kagome.

"Kagome-chan, what's the matter? Why are you calling me so late?" Sango inquired and switched on a nearby lamp on the night stand.

"Sango-chan," Kagome began in a hushed tone, "I know that you're properly upset with me… but it's really important."

Sango sat up on the bed and pushed her long, brunette locks out of her eyes. She was beginning to become concerned about her friend's well being. Kagome's voice was soft from the other line, causing Sango to strain her ears just so she could hear the small, quivering voice on the other line.

"What's going on? Do you want me to meet you now?"

"Iie!" Kagome replied hastily and quickly lowered her voice to a softer tone, "No… Sango-chan… I'm…. I'm late."

Sango tilted her head to the side and raised her eyebrow, indicating her confusion with Kagome's words. It seemed for a moment Sango had forgotten Kagome was on the phone and not present with her at the time for Kagome had whispered a 'hello' into the phone line immediately gaining Sango's attention. Sango blinked and cradled the small cell phone in her pale hands.

"Late?" Sango echoed, now perplexed. She heard as Kagome sucked in a large amount of air before letting it go slowly. With that gesture Sango knew that Kagome was worried about something. Her look of confusion was replaced with one of concern.

"My period…. I'm late," Kagome whispered. This time her voice seemed to be even lower.

It was only then when Sango understood what her friend was referring to. Sango's eyes widened in realization and in shock. For a moment she couldn't believe what she had heard. There was no way that Kagome could be…. Various thoughts rushed through the college student's mind before she could come up with something suitable to say.

"How… how late are you?" Sango asked seriously, patiently waiting for an answer.

"Two weeks," Kagome said and Sango could have sworn that Kagome sounded like if she was on the verge of tears.

Making sure to stabilize her thoughts and to make her voice firm and calm, Sango finally spoke, "I'll take you tomorrow morning, okay? I'll meet you at your house."

"You can't," Kagome said softly. Kagome's voice was once again quivering and this time Sango knew that the young girl was crying. "I'll meet you somewhere. I'm at Inuyasha's."

"Oh," Sango said simply. She didn't know what to make of Kagome's situation at the time. She just hoped that things weren't as they seemed to be. If things did turn out wrongly for Kagome Sango didn't know what would happen. Things might spiral downhill if that were to occur.

* * *

Inuyasha awoke to his arms wrapped around Kagome's small body. By the darkness of the room Inuyasha guessed that it was about four in the morning. A lazy smile came upon his face as sudden warmth filled every inch of his body. Inuyasha only had that feeling on happiness when Kagome was present. Something about her brought him ultimate joy. He would never admit this to Kagome for he could just imagine the look of amusement on her face.

Her body was facing his with her face nestled his chest. She was wearing a large, blue T shirt that he had leant her and her hair was pulled into a high ponytail to prevent it from spreading all over her face. Her lips were slightly parted while her eyebrows were shot high up into the air.

Inuyasha smiled and pushed a couple of stray strands out of her face. Kagome mumbled before snuggling her body closer to his. Inuyasha felt her tiny fingers move slightly against his bare chest before she stilled her movements and relaxed against him.

Making sure not to wake the girl beside him, Inuyasha slipped out of the bed and moved slowly across the bedroom. His stomach was growling since he had arrived home and he saw it fit to eat now before his hunger grew.

He made his way down the dimly lit halls filled with expensive paintings and fancy sculptures before he languidly walked down the seemly endless flight stairs. Inuyasha frowned to himself as he made his way down. He had seen it unnecessary for only a few people to be living in such a large house. Inuyasha was about to confront his brother, Sesshoumaru about it but he remembered that his brother was doing him a favour by allowing him to stay.

On arrival to the large kitchen Inuyasha immediately moved to the refrigerator to see if there was anything worth eating present. It was only then he spotted Sesshoumaru sitting facing the table island with his long hair pulled back into a low ponytail and his body covered in only a pair of grey boxers.

Inuyasha ignored the man sitting in close proximity to him and made his way over to the cupboard to get a pack of instant ramen. He tore the wrapping from the small cup before placing it in the microwave to be heated.

"I see you've brought the girl home with you today," Sesshoumaru said calmly and kept his golden eyes focused on the paperwork before him.

Inuyasha scowled and leaned against a nearby counter, "And how's that any business of yours?"

Sesshoumaru showed no reaction to his brother's rude words and stared emotionlessly at Inuyasha. Inuyasha felt a shiver run up his spine but showed no reaction, knowing that this would please Sesshoumaru greatly.

"I was just curious if you told her about what I found out about your engagement to Nara."

When Inuyasha instantly lowered his eyes Sesshoumaru knew that he had found a crack in the armor. He showed no expression of being pleased that he could read Inuyasha so well for he knew that his brother would explode and begin to yell various insults at him. Sesshoumaru continued speaking even though he knew it would further irate his younger sibling.

"You know if you prolong telling her about the contract then it would hurt her even more," Sesshoumaru stated wisely. He continued with a slight smirk on his face, "I don't think you want your relationship with that girl to end the same way the last one did."

Inuyasha's head shot up and his head and glowered at his older brother. Sesshoumaru had reminded him of a time that he'd rather forget. It took all of Inuyasha's will power to prevent him from lunging at the man sitting causally across the room.

"Don't mess with me Sesshoumaru," Inuyasha said softly. His teeth were bared and his face was already beginning to turn red with anger. Sesshoumaru was surprised at Inuyasha's sudden rise in anger. He didn't know that his brother was still so sensitive towards the subject. Sesshoumaru lowered his head back to his work which seemed to be his way of apologizing.

The loud beeping of the microwave ended the long silence between both men. Inuyasha took out the cut of steaming Ramen before swiftly exiting the kitchen with various thoughts of the past going through his mind.

* * *

A/N: Wow I haven't updated in awhile, huh? At least now you know I'm still alive and Betrothed is still in progress. Thanks for the reviews and hopefully you could leave some comments for this chapter as well. I'll update when I get the chance.

Neogirl


	15. Unexpected Results

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

Betrothed

Chapter 15- Unexpected Results

* * *

Kagome stumbled backward as she stared at the small device that she held in her hand. She closed her eyes and shook her head violently before reopening them to stare at the small piece of plastic that she held in her hands. She wasn't dreaming. It was printed out to her clear in black.

"Pregnant…" Kagome whispered.

A million thoughts began to run through her mind, all at once. She thought about the new life growing within her stomach, she thought about how this child would change her life altogether. Her thoughts went to her family and what their reactions would be. How would they react if they found out that she was unwed and pregnant? Not only that but she was still in college. She only had one more year before graduating. It then occurred to Kagome that she might have to drop out right before completing school.

Her breathing became hard as the harsh reality of the situation sank in. Kagome's whole body suddenly felt numb. She let go of the small piece of plastic, allowing it to drop on the tiled floor with a small 'clack'. For a short moment her all the thoughts stopped and her mind went blank. Kagome once again closed her eyes before she sank down to the ground.

Delicate fingers reached up to touch her cheeks. Kagome was rather surprised to find them damp. She opened her eyes to stare at the moisture on her fingertips. She hadn't even realized that she had started crying. It was only now that she was aware of the small trails of tears running down her cheeks. She made no effort to wipe them away for Kagome knew that they would only keep coming.

She brought her knees up to her chest and rested her forehead on them. It was only then that the college student's body began shaking violently. It wasn't long before Kagome was sobbing.

If only Sango was with her then maybe her reaction might have been better. Unfortunately Sango wasn't present. Her longtime friend was needed by her father and Miroku. Sango had insisted that she stay but Kagome knew that it would be best for Sango to go to her family. Kagome reassured her friend that everything will be taken care of and that she would be able to handle whatever the results may be. She had never expected the results to be positive.

'What am I going to do?' Kagome thought solemnly and sank against the wall. 'How will I tell mama? I wonder… if she'll be disappointed…'

Kagome lowered her knees and leaned against the bathroom wall. She hesitantly moved her hand to rest on her flat stomach. She lowered her head to stare at her abdomen. Kagome couldn't help but smile slightly when she imagined that a tiny being was now living within her. Not only that but that tiny being was hers and Inuyasha's.

"Inuyasha…"

Most importantly how was she going to tell him? Kagome rubbed her thumb on her flat stomach before raising her head to stare directly in front of her. She saw nothing for her vision was blurred by the formation of more tears.

"I can't tell him… I can't… He's already dealing with Nara and…"

'You're lying. You don't want to tell him because you're afraid he'll end up hating you,' Kagome's mind argued.

The young woman shook her head so violently that her loose hair slapped her cheeks.

"Iie… that's not true," Kagome whispered. Despite her words Kagome knew that was the truth but she refused to admit it. The thought of Inuyasha despising her sent chills down Kagome's spine. She could never imagine Inuyasha giving her the hateful look that she had often seen him give to others.

Kagome lazily leaned her head against the wall and allowed the tears to slide down her cheeks. This pregnancy would only complicate the situation more.

"Higurashi your mother said that you were up in your room and…"

Kagome raised her head to see Hojo standing at the doorway. He looked rather handsome in a simple grey suit. His hair was quite neat which was a surprise for Kagome who was used to seeing him with messy, brown bangs. His light eyes were wide and a frown was currently surfacing onto his face.

Before Kagome could react Hojo was kneeling down next to her. His large hands rested on her shoulders and she could see that he was extremely concerned for her. She saw his lips moving as he spoke to her but she heard nothing for her mind was too far away to process anything at the moment. Kagome only looked into his eyes and watched with wonder as the sunlight streaming into the room made his eyes glow slightly. It reminded her of Inuyasha so much except she knew that Inuyasha's eyes surpassed Hojo's.

Kagome felt Hojo's arms come around her tiny body. She mentally noted how warm he was and didn't make an attempt to move away. Instead her delicate hands reached up and rested on his back. She closed her eyes and buried her face in his chest before she started crying once more. All she needed and all she wanted was to be comforted by a friend.

* * *

Inuyasha was having an extremely bad day. The only cause to this was the fact that he had to meet with Nara's father to plan the wedding. The two were informed that it was going to be in late October. That made the engagement to Nara seem even more real. Whether Inuyasha wanted to or not he would have to eventually fess up to his romance with Kagome.

"Um… Inuyasha…"

Golden eyes soon met with bright blue ones. Inuyasha immediately knew that he had once again caused Nara to worry. He attempted to smile at her but for some reason his lips weren't moving from its current frown. His expression changed however when he felt Nara's tiny hands squeeze his fingers. He looked at her with wide eyes and only received a smile from her.

Inuyasha sighed and looked ahead of him. He and Nara had been walking for sometime now. After a long meeting to confirm wedding plans Nara had asked Inuyasha to accompany her somewhere. He had agreed since he knew that if he were to return to Sesshoumaru's place he would end up destroying some furniture in his frustration.

"Where are we going anyway?" Inuyasha asked but kept his eyes focused ahead of him.

"To Kag-chan's place," Nara replied cheerfully. Nara was surprised when Inuyasha suddenly began coughing. She stopped her stride and gently rubbed his back until the coughing stopped.

"Are you okay?" she inquired and looked at Inuyasha with concerned eyes. He simply nodded and continued walking.

Nara had noticed that his facial expression had changed. Earlier he had looked frustrated and almost angry. Nara didn't worry earlier for she had known him to always have that look on his face but now his eyes had lost its sparkle and his eyebrows were shot up on his forehead indicating that he was worried. For a brief second Nara thought that it had something to do with her cousin, Kagome but quickly shrugged it off, reminding herself that the two had only encountered each other twice.

"I haven't seen Kag-chan in such a long time," Nara began softly and looked down at the pavement. "I'm getting the feeling that she doesn't want to see me," Nara said with a chuckle before looking up and smiling softly at Inuyasha.

Inuyasha had to look away. His guilt prevented him from looking Nara strait in the eye and the fact that he knew that Kagome was avoiding talking to Nara made it worse. The words that Kagome had told the other night echoed in his head.

"_I can't talk to her anymore."_

Inuyasha lowered his eyes to the ground. He knew that for the rest of the walk to Kagome's place that he would no longer be able to look at Nara without feeling guilty. He just hoped that Kagome wasn't home. Seeing her would put him in a difficult position. Also if Kagome were to see him and Nara together he knew that it would break her heart.

* * *

Kagome's eyes moved from her toes to the door when she heard the door click open. Hojo entered with a glass of water in his hands and a tiny smile of his face. He moved across the room before handing her glass. Kagome reached for it and gulped down half of it. All that crying had made her very thirsty.

When Kagome looked up she caught Hojo looking at her. He had that worried look on his face. Kagome had received those looks from him a lot when they were dating. She never did like to see him worry of her and she still didn't. She stared at him for a long time before smiling at him.

"Thank you Hojo-kun. You're a good friend."

The smile slid off her face when she Hojo sighed and he moved his eyes away from her. Kagome looked down at the glass in her lap. She was trying her best to cover up her worry for what she had just discovered. All the horrible things that could come out of this was constantly looming in the back of Kagome's mind and no matter how much she tried to ignore it Kagome knew that she would eventually have to face it.

The silence stayed for a long time. The only sounds that could be heard were the ticking of the pink alarm clock on the nightstand and the wind hitting the closed windows. Kagome tapped her fingers against the half empty glass but stopped when she realized that her actions were interrupting the quiet.

"You still seem to be upset," Hojo stated, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

Kagome's head shot up to look at him. He was frowning at her. She knew that he was extremely concerned for her and for some reason it bothered her. She guessed it was because she didn't like to see that frown on his face. He looked more like the Hojo she knew when he was smiling at her.

"You can tell me. Maybe I can help you," Hojo offered with a sad smile.

Kagome shook her head violently before giving Hojo a reassuring smile, hoping that he would leave the matter there.

"I care about you. I still feel the same way from five years ago, Kagome. Nothing has changed," Hojo said and looked at her seriously. Kagome didn't know what to say. He had never called her by her first name before and moreover she had never seen Hojo look at her so intensely before either. She lowered her head to avoid his gaze.

She opened her mouth to reply but stopped when she felt Hojo's arms wrap around her waist, pulling her body towards his. He held her tightly against him, his head resting on her shoulder. She felt a slight puff on her neck when he mumbled her name. She was once again surprised when Hojo raised his head and planted a tender kiss on her forehead.

Kagome was about to push him away but was stopped by a familiar voice.

"What the hell!"

Before Kagome could react Hojo was roughly pulled off her and thrown on the pink carpet. It was then Kagome found herself looking into the golden eyes of Inuyasha. With that her heart began pounding hard within her chest. Never before had she seen him look so angry before. It was almost like she could see the fire blazing within his eyes. Kagome knew that if Inuyasha were to do something, Hojo wouldn't have a chance.

She reacted quickly by quickly getting off the bed and hurrying over to stand in front of a confused Hojo. She kept her eyes on Inuyasha knowing that if he might attack Hojo at any time. Inuyasha was currently glowering at her but his look had softened when compared to before.

While looking at Inuyasha, millions of questions flooded through Kagome's mind. First of all she wanted to know what he was doing at her home. Also Kagome didn't recall giving him her address so she also wanted to know how he had gotten there. Kagome's questions were answered when Nara popped into the room with a smile.

"Kag-chan!"

Kagome slowly patted her cousin's back when Nara hugged her. Nara pulled away and smiled at Kagome. Kagome knew that she might have to make up some explanation to why she wasn't returning any of Nara's calls.

"I feel like I haven't seen you in years!" Nara said cheerfully.

"Yes, it feels so," Kagome replied and forced a smile.

"Um… excuse me."

Everyone eyes landed on Hojo who was now lifting himself off the floor. He looked slightly angry but more than anything he looked confused. His eyes landed on Inuyasha who was standing right behind Nara and noticed that he was still being glared at.

Inuyasha's fingernails were currently digging into his skin. He was greatly resisting the urge to go over to that Hojo guy and beat the hell out of him. His jealously was currently skyrocketing and it seemed that Kagome had noticed for she was standing in front of Hojo in an attempt to protect him. Once again he had found Kagome with that man and it didn't make him the least bit happy. Despite Kagome's reassurances that Hojo was only a friend, that did not stop Inuyasha from becoming jealous. Also he had a feeling that the Hojo guy was not satisfied with being only Kagome's friend since he had found the guy practically clinging onto Kagome.

Inuyasha's golden eyes moved to Kagome. She was looking back at Hojo apologetically. She tilted her head slightly to look at Inuyasha but when their eyes met she immediately tore her eyes away. This caused the anger in Inuyasha to rise. His frown deepened as he watched Kagome rest her hand on Hojo's shoulder while she asked if he was okay. Hojo seemed to ignore Kagome's question and looked directly at Inuyasha.

"May I ask why did you do that?" Hojo inquired and raised one eyebrow.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes at Hojo and stole a quick glance at Kagome who was obviously concerned with the situation. She bit her bottom lip and once again averted her eyes away from his. Nara was glancing between the two men with confusion apparent on her face.

"Keh, I thought the girl was being taken advantage of so I reacted."

Hojo was defiantly offended. His frown deepened and he folded his arms before looking at Kagome.

"Do you think that _I_ would take advantage of you, Higurashi?" Hojo asked and stared at Kagome, waiting for an answer.

Kagome fidgeted before looking at Inuyasha. He raised one eyebrow at her, indicating that he was waiting for her answer. Hojo was staring at her intensely too, acting like if his life depended on her answering.

"Well… I uh…"

"Didn't you listen to what I said, Hobo?" Inuyasha said, immediately cutting off Kagome. "I said I _thought_ that she was being taken advantage of. I didn't say you were! It just looked like it from my point of view. If you didn't notice she wasn't holding you back and she was stiff. What else did you want me to think?"

The two men stared at each other for what seemed to be an eternity. Nara sensed the great tension in the room and quickly walked in front of Inuyasha, blocking his view of Hojo. She took one glance at him and saw so much anger in his eyes that she herself became scared. She did not understand why Inuyasha seemed to be so angry over something so petty.

"Hojo-kun, I'm fine now. If it's okay with you I'd like to spend some time with my cousin. I'll see you later?"

Kagome smiled at her friend and hugged him half-heartedly. He nodded slightly before pulling her into a tight, long embrace. When he let go he politely said his farewell to Nara but ignored Inuyasha. Inuyasha was tempted to hit the man when he brushed by him and exited the room.

Kagome sighed and ran her fingers through her messy hair. She smiled at her cousin to indicate that she was relaxed now but Kagome was anything but relived. Ever since she had gone in the bathroom earlier, the thought that she was now with child was looming above her head like a dark cloud. Also the fact that Inuyasha was present made it even hard for her to deal with. Part of Kagome wanted so badly to tell him that she was pregnant and maybe he would be happy but the other part of Kagome was afraid to tell him simply for that fact that he might become furious with her.

"I need to freshen up," Kagome said weakly, "I'm a mess right now."

Nara beamed at Kagome. "Okay, we'll wait for you downstairs."

When Inuyasha saw the weariness on Kagome's face his jealously diminished and was replaced with worry. When she had left for home earlier in the morning she had been fine. Inuyasha knew that something was bothering her but for some reason he couldn't think of anything that could cause her to look like that.

Nara began pulling him out of the room when he refused to move. Right before the door of Kagome's room closed he saw her wipe away a tear that was sliding down her cheek and slowly run her hand down her stomach, looking down at her stomach with a tender but sorrowful look in her eyes.

As Inuyasha sat at the table with Kagome's mother and Nara he couldn't help but wonder what all of Kagome's actions meant.

* * *

A/n: I don't know about this chapter. You've gotta tell me. So I haven't updated in a while but I have a valid reason. I have exams coming up in less than a week. They're really important and I need to spend a lot of time studying for them. They start this month and end in mid June so I won't update either until the end of June or in early July. I hope that you don't get sick of me taking long to update this story. After exams I will definitely update more. Thank you guys for the support I've been receiving so far for Betrothed. You guys are the best!

Neogirl


	16. Suspicion and Discoveries

Disclaimer: Once again I do not own any rights to the characters or anything dealing with Inuyasha.

Betrothed

Chapter 16- Suspicion and Discoveries

* * *

Inuyasha sat silently at the kitchen table in Kagome's home while Nara was happily chatting away with Mrs. Higurashi. Normally he would have at least listened to the conversation that was going on between the two women but this time he had no particular interest in what they were speaking about for his mind was currently on Nara's cousin, Kagome.

It seemed that he couldn't stop thinking about the sorrowful look that Kagome had on her face right before he was pulled out of her bedroom. It was the first time that Inuyasha had ever seen her give such an expression. At first he assumed that it probably was the fact that he had shown up with Nara but somehow that didn't seem to fit her look of sorrow. He knew how she looked when that situation would occur and the expression that she held seemed to be more of jealously than sorrow.

'I just know that I must be the cause of this. Ever since she's been with me… she's been miserable,' Inuyasha thought guiltily.

For a moment Inuyasha thought that it would have been better if he had never admitted his feelings to Kagome. Maybe then she would have been happier and not experiencing all these complications but soon after the thought of Kagome dating that Hobo guy came into his head, causing Inuyasha to completely dismiss the idea.

"Inuyasha, are you okay?"

Inuyasha eyes moved to his fiancé, Nara who was looking at him with concerned blue eyes. Mrs. Higurashi seemed to be concerned too for she tiled her head to the side and stared at him.

"I'm fine. Just thinking," Inuyasha reassured the two women sitting with him at the table.

Nara smiled at him tenderly before rubbing his arm affectionately. He didn't particularly like the very intimate gesture but he made no actions to move away from her touch.

"You're always thinking a lot, Inuyasha," Nara pointed out. The smile had now slid off her face and her eyebrows were now furrowed with worry.

"You worry too much for a kid," Inuyasha joked and smiled at her.

Nara didn't smile like she always did when he usually made those comments. Instead her slightly parted lips pressed themselves together and soon became a frown and her light blue eyes burned with fury. Her hand that was resting on his arm was now resting in a fist on her lap. Inuyasha knew that he had said the wrong thing.

"Why must I always be a kid to you?" Nara asked softly, without looking at him.

It was rare that Inuyasha would make Nara angry with him and usually it was over more serious matters. This was the first time he had seen her become upset over something so petty. He didn't know that she would take a simple joke so seriously.

"Is that all you see me as, a child?" Nara inquired, and this time she looked at him.

Inuyasha had to look away from her. Her whole facial expression showed what she wanted from him. Her eyes were begging him to love her like she did with him and Inuyasha knew that no matter how much time passed he could never see her like that.

"Gomen nasi, for taking so long."

Everyone's attention was now focused on Kagome. She was casually making her way down the stairs, wearing a pair of white shorts and a shirt.

Inuyasha had now long forgotten Nara's question and his attention was now on Kagome. It was only after seeing her that he remembered his concern for her.

She looked better than before. No longer was her face showing that sorrowful look. Now she looked a lot more refreshed but Inuyasha immediately spotted the worry swirling within her brown eyes.

Kagome seemed to notice the silence in the room. She shifted her head to the side and looked at the three people sitting at the table. Her mother was stirring her tea absently with her spoon while she was looking worryingly at Nara and Inuyasha. Nara looked upset, with both hands resting stiffly on her lap and her eyebrows drawn down to her eyes. Inuyasha was the only one looking at her with an intense stare

It almost seemed that Inuyasha was trying to read her mind. His eyes never left her face and Kagome would have easily lost herself in his intense stare if not for the sound of the chair scraping against the floor tiles when Mrs. Higurashi stood up from the table.

"Did I interrupt something?" Kagome inquired after a long period of silence.

"No, nothing important," Nara said and cast an angry glance at Inuyasha.

* * *

_The noisy chatter of the students seemed to fade away when Inuyasha's eyes laid on her. She was as always by herself. Inuyasha couldn't tear his eyes away as she leisurely walked over to a tall tree and slowly sit on one of the roots that had surfaced from the ground. _

_She looked pretty, as always. The usual white ribbon that she tied in her hair was missing, leaving her long, strait, dark hair to flow freely down her back. Her light eyes were now focused on a small drawing pad that was resting on her legs which were visible due to her rather short uniform skirt._

_Everyday she would be under that tree and it always seemed that she was drawing in that notebook of hers. Her behavior fascinated Inuyasha more than anything for she was not like other girls going to his High School. Unlike others she was more reserved and preferred to remain solitary. Inuyasha had yet to see her with anyone by her side. The only thing that she was certain to have was a drawing pencil and a large drawing pad. _

_Often Inuyasha had wondered what she drew so much and even more why she always came in the same place every lunch hour but those questions often left his mind for he would be so consumed by how pretty she looked._

"_You're a coward, you know that?"_

_Inuyasha jumped when the person beside him spoke. He turned around and glared at his friend, Miroku who was chewing on a plastic fork that he was using to eat his lunch. _

"_What makes you think I'm a coward?" Inuyasha snapped. _

"_What's so intimidating about her that you can't just talk to her?" Miroku asked and stuffed some rice into his mouth. _

"_What makes you think I haven't?" Inuyasha retorted and glowered at the boy sitting next to him on the grass. _

"_Okay, then what's her name?"_

_When Inuyasha didn't answer, Miroku knew that he had easily made his point. _

"_Keh," Inuyasha replied and stood up from the grass. Miroku was looking at him questionably as he began walking away._

"_I'll show you that I'm not a damn coward," Inuyasha stated, his pride kicking in._

_Despite Inuyasha's calm demeanor, his heart was pounding within his chest. He was never one to suddenly walk up and talk to someone. It was even more nerve racking since he had been watching this girl for sometime now. Not only that but never had he seen her speak to anyone before, so what would make him think that she would even give him the time of day?_

_Her brown eyes met his for the first time when Inuyasha stood before her. At first Inuyasha went dumb. She was even more beautiful up close. He had considered the thought of walking away so that she would think that he was not walking towards her but then the image of Miroku's smug smile came into his head causing Inuyasha to quickly dismiss the idea. _

_She was looking up at him questionably, with her drawing pad pressed against her chest preventing Inuyasha to see what she had been doing. _

"_Hi," Inuyasha said for it was the only thing that seemed to come out of his mouth at the time. _

"_Hello," she replied and looked up at him suspiciously. This caused Inuyasha to look away for a moment. _

"_The name's Inuyasha."_

_For a long time she looked at him. Her eyes remained on his face. It seemed that she was trying to determine if he was in any way a suspicious character. After a long moment of Inuyasha standing in front of the girl like an idiot, she spoke. _

"_I'm Kikyou," she said softly and for the first time Inuyasha saw her smile._

* * *

"Brides mate?" Kagome asked and looked at her cousin in alarm.

Nara was grinning at Kagome, her blue eyes twinkling with expectancy. Her pale hands were clasped in front of her face, while her elbows were resting on the table. Nara's whole body language was practically begging Kagome to accept the offer.

Kagome's eyes involuntarily moved to Inuyasha who was sitting next to her. His golden eyes met hers and Kagome felt a jolt of electricity run through her body. He quickly averted his eyes before Kagome could decipher what he was thinking. She cursed him for trying to avoid her and soon returned her attention to her cousin.

"I cannot accept," Kagome said with a sigh and looked down at her fingers which were fisted tightly on her lap. She absolutely refused to meet Nara's eyes for Kagome knew that she would see the disappointment in them.

"Why?" Kagome heard Nara ask softly. She was making her disappointment obvious.

Kagome's fists became tighter, which in turn caused her nails to dig even deeper into the palms of her hands. The guilt that Kagome was feeling seemed to be overwhelming her. She knew that looking at Nara's disappointed face would cause her guilt to intensify but at the same time Kagome knew that if she saw Nara being happy with Inuyasha that she would feel immense pain. All the negative feelings of both hurt and guilt seemed to be eating Kagome away slowly. She felt a sharp pain in her chest and immediately brought her hand up to the place where she knew that her heart was aching.

"Hey, you okay?"

Kagome's head shot up to look at Inuyasha. He was looking at her, obviously concerned for her wellbeing. His large hand hesitantly reached out and gently touched her back. The affectionate touch soothed her but at the same time caused her even more emotional distress. The touch of Inuyasha once again reminded her that she was pregnant and once more her mind told her that he had to be informed of what was occurring.

"No, I don't want to," Kagome whispered and once again lowered her head.

She was feeling the now familiar burning sensation behind her eyes. Kagome cursed herself for being weak. She didn't want to cry about the situation but it seemed that her body did not want to respond to what she desired. All Kagome wanted was to sink away in a corner, away from everyone and all the troubles that she was experiencing and cry until there were no more tears left within her eyes.

"Kag-chan?"

"Oi, Kagome!"

She felt both Inuyasha and Nara's concern for her. She wanted to respond and say that everything was better now, that they didn't need to fuss over her, that she wasn't crying over anything serious but for some reason her mouth wouldn't release any sound except heart wrenching sobs.

It seemed that things were becoming worse for her. It was already painful for her to see her cousin be with Inuyasha and openly admit that she loved him. It was even more heart breaking to know that Inuyasha still held a place in his heart for Nara, preventing him from telling her the truth about him and Kagome. However the most painful part was the knowledge that she was pregnant and the fear of Inuyasha loathing her if he were to discover it.

She felt as if she were being eaten away by the hurt, guilt and fear in her heart. Yes, it felt as if they were feeding on her soul, on her happiness. Slowly, the world around her was becoming darker with each passing second. It wasn't long before the concerned voices of Inuyasha and Nara faded away. Kagome managed to look up at Inuyasha. He looked frantic but Kagome could not reassure him for the world around her was almost completely filled with darkness. The darkness spread like wildfire before her eyes, until she saw nothing anymore.

* * *

The first thing that Kagome was aware of was a warm, gentle touch against her cheek. She cracked both of her eyes open but could not clearly make out her surroundings. It was only when she opened both eyes fully that she recognized that she was in her bedroom. It was only a few moments later that she saw Inuyasha sitting before her bed. 

"Is fainting your favorite thing to do?" Inuyasha asked gruffly.

Kagome immediately became annoyed. Why was he being so rude to her when she had now woken up? She frowned and tired her best to glare at him despite the headache she was now getting.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Kagome retorted and glowered at Inuyasha.

She noticed that his face had now softened. His eyes were glowing brilliantly in the room because of the sun streaming through her window. He looked so concerned and beautiful at the same time that Kagome's anger melted away and was replaced with a great amount of tenderness towards him.

"Gomen nasi," she whispered.

"Just don't faint again, wench. People worry about you!" Inuyasha snapped.

Despite his seemingly harsh tone, Kagome blushed at how open he was with his concern for her. He had never actually done that before and it made Kagome love him even more.

"Are you… sick? Is it… because of me?"

Kagome looked up at Inuyasha with surprise. He wasn't looking at her. Instead his eyes were focused on something across the room. Kagome stared at him for sometime. This was her chance to tell him about the life growing within her stomach. A sudden fear spiked up within Kagome when she thought of various ways to tell him. It scared her even more to imagine what his reaction would be.

'Be brave Kagome. He would have to find out eventually.'

With a bit of mental support, Kagome opened her mouth, in hope that she would say the right words. At that moment Inuyasha decided to turn around to look at her. Nothing left Kagome's mouth. She sighed and closed her eyes. She was being cowardly.

"Nani?" Inuyasha asked after a long period of silence.

"Kiss me," Kagome murmured without thinking. She opened her eyes just in time to see Inuyasha leaning down towards her.

There lips met in a soft, gentle kiss. Inuyasha's hands came up and rested on her cheek while Kagome moved both her arms to rest on his broad shoulders. Inuyasha was slow and gentle and it gave Kagome some well needed comfort.

The couple's lips remained locked together until the sound of the door opening reached Kagome's ears. Inuyasha seemed to have heard it too for he immediately pulled away from her. Kagome's eyes moved towards the door of her room.

Mrs. Higurashi stood frozen at the door. Her light brown eyes were wide and her thin lips were slightly parted. There was a small 'thud' when a glass filled with water slipped out of her hands and on to the soft, pink carpet. It was then that both Inuyasha and Kagome knew that Mrs. Higurashi had seen them.

* * *

A/N: Okay that's the end of this chapter. fans all this drama is making me exhausted! I hope that you all enjoy this long awaited update. I'll start writing as soon as possible since I actually have time to write now. Yay! Thanks for all the reviews I really liked reading them and if you can give me your honest, brutal opinions on this chapter as well, I would greatly appreciate it! XD

**Translations**

Nani-What

Gomen Nasi- I'm Sorry

Neogirl


	17. Nara’s Premonition

Disclaimer: I am not the rightful owner of Inuyasha or any of the Inuyasha franchise.

**A/n: Just another reminder that Inuyasha and the gang are all human but still retain their original appearances except Inu won't have those adorable doggy ears that we love so much, just human ears!**

Betrothed

Chapter 17- Nara's Premonition

* * *

"_So, when am I going to get to meet your folks?" Inuyasha questioned and looked at the girl sitting across from him. _

_Her brown eyes moved from the scenery before them, to look at his face. She was very careful with the way she looked at him, making sure not to expose too many emotions when they spoke. That intrigued Inuyasha even more, since he never knew what she was thinking. It was the same this time. Inuyasha could not read her plain expression, nor could he read her almost dark brown eyes. She was always a mystery to him._

"_I cannot," she answered simply and watched as it rained small, pink cherry blossoms. She slowly raised her hand and watched as a delicate cherry blossom landed in her palm. Inuyasha stared, entranced at her appearance. _

"_Why can't you?" Inuyasha asked softly._

"_Because," she began and slowly and carefully, "My parents both have expectations of me."_

_Inuyasha looked at her, confused. He did not understand where she was going with her current statement. What did any of that have to do with the situation? Kikyou wasn't looking at him; instead her eyes were focused on the small petal in her hand. She brought her hand close to her lips and blew away the cherry blossoms on her hand. _

_Inuyasha was about to ask another question, curious to know what she had meant when she said expectations but then she looked at him, causing all of his words to be forgotten. _

"_I'm assuming you don't understand," Kikyou stated and continued to give Inuyasha direct eye contact. When Inuyasha didn't reply, Kikyou continued speaking, her eyes now looking directly in front of her. "As you know I come from a wealthy family."_

"_Yeah, but what does that have to do…"_

"_My parents would not accept us being together," Kikyou cut him off and stared calmly ahead of her. "They would not approve of me being with someone who's beneath my class."_

"_Beneath your… what the hell is that supposed to mean?" Inuyasha asked and glared at Kikyou. Not only was her statement insulting but it was a hard blow to his pride. _

_Kikyou gave one of her rare smiles and pushed a stray stand of hair behind her left ear, "I knew that you would get upset."_

"_Then why the hell did you say it?" Inuyasha growled. _

"_I'm just being honest with you," Kikyou said and looked at him once more. She was still smiling. If it wasn't for his current anger, Inuyasha would have immediately fallen prey to her smile. "Just give it time and we'll see what happens."_

* * *

Mrs. Higurashi stared at her daughter in amazement. It was already extremely difficult to believe what she had seen but there was no way that she believed anything that had been said to her. She would have easily taken it as some silly story but her daughter's eyes were filled with honestly.

Kagome was currently sitting on the bed next to her mother. Inuyasha was present as well, sitting on a chair across the room. Mrs. Higurashi's eyes of disbelief spoke volumes to both Inuyasha and Kagome. Never before had Kagome witnessed her mother's eyes become so wide and filled with so many emotions.

Kagome looked down at her lap, no longer wanting to watch Mrs. Higurashi's eyes swirl with disapproval but mostly disappointment. No, for that was one of the worst things a parent could feel towards his or her child and it hurt Kagome to know that her mother had to find out that way.

"When did this… this relationship start?" Mrs. Higurashi inquired and looked at Kagome. There was a long stretch of silence. Lasting for about ten minutes before Inuyasha decided to speak up.

"It started about four months ago," Inuyasha said and looked directly at Kagome. In normal circumstances he would have kept silent but the expression on Kagome's face made his heart ache, so he decided to speak for her.

Mrs. Higurashi's eyes moved to Inuyasha. Unlike before they were cold and showed none of the warmth that Inuyasha was accustomed to. He was greatly tempted to look down but Inuyasha did not want to show weakness so he continued to look at her.

"How…. How could you do this to your cousin, Kagome?"

Mrs. Higurashi's eyes were once again on her daughter. Kagome's hands were fisted in the delicate material of her pants, while her head was lowered. If one were to look closely at the young adult's face they would see small tears forming within her eyes.

Kagome could not respond. No matter how much she wanted to. She knew that if she would attempt to speak that she would break down crying. For the first time, Kagome did not want her mother to see her shed tears. In Kagome's opinion it would make her seem pathetic and she also didn't seem to have a good reason to be crying.

"Higurashi-sama," Inuyasha began softly, once again gaining Mrs. Higurashi's attention. "I love your daughter… I care for her so much. This situation that I'm in is very unfortunate. I do not wish to hurt Nara, but I cannot give up Kagome. I plan to break off the contract binding me and Nara together."

"But are you certain that you can do that and what do you mean by contract?"

"I never proposed to Nara. The engagement was organized by both our parents. I want to be with Kagome and I'll do anything I can to do so."

Kagome gasped and looked at Inuyasha. His golden eyes were on her. She felt her heart swell with love for him. So what if he was a rude, arrogant, person that would never stop her from loving him. The words that came out of Inuyasha's mouth made her love for him reach even higher levels, and at that moment Kagome remembered the baby within her stomach and for that second she wasn't afraid to tell him for she felt that he would become overjoyed instead of angry.

"You say you love Kagome but are you willing to hurt Nara in order for you two to be together?"

* * *

Nara returned to the Higurashi Shrine to find everyone looking rather solemn. She rested the bag of medical supplies on Kagome's desk and slowly walked over to the pink bed where both Mrs. Higurashi and Kagome sat.

Kagome's head was lowered, her fingers looked like it was digging into her legs. Mrs. Higurashi was looking ahead of her; her usual calm exterior had faded making her look stiff and cold.

As soon as Mrs. Higurashi noticed Nara, her eyes became warm once more and a smile slowly came upon her face. Kagome remained with her head bowed.

"Nara, you took a while didn't you," Mrs. Higurashi said happily. Nara looked at her aunt suspiciously. There was definitely something going on and Nara by no means did not like being ignorant of the situation. "Did you get everything?"

"Yes but I have something to…"

"Oh that's good," Mrs. Higurashi commented with a smile. Nara frowned and opened her mouth to speak but her aunt cut her off once more. "Inuyasha has been waiting for you!"

"Inuyasha?" Nara whispered and turned around when she heard him say her name. She hadn't even noticed him when she came into the room.

He was standing a good distance behind her. He was smiling at her, but his eyes were dark with sorrow. Yes, there was definitely something going on.

"Well why don't you two go downstairs! I'll meet you there with Kagome in a bit!" Mrs. Higurashi said cheerfully. Maybe it was a bit too cheerful in Nara's opinion.

She frowned but obeyed and slowly walked out of the room with Inuyasha behind her. When she and Inuyasha were halfway down the stairs, Nara turned around to her fiancé and looked at him with a frown. He looked at her with a blank expression.

"What's going on Inuyasha? Something bad happened when I was out didn't it?"

Inuyasha raised one eyebrow at her before looking at her confused. "What exactly do you mean?"

"I'm not a little kid anymore Inuyasha! Kagome didn't even look at me! My aunt looked upset before she noticed I was in the room! You, you look so serious! I know something happened! Now tell me!" Nara commanded furiously.

Inuyasha looked at her with wide eyes. He was shocked at Nara's sudden outburst. Never, in his years of knowing her had he seen her react like that before. The most prominent emotion that Inuyasha was feeling was panic. Nara was starting to notice, she was starting to figure out that there were things going on with Kagome that she didn't know about.

Inuyasha tried his best to regain his composure before answering Nara. "I'm sorry but I don't even know right now. When things do get less confused then I'll be able to answer that question."

He was honest and that was the best answer that Inuyasha could give Nara at the moment. If he had lied to her then it would not be fair to her. He just hoped that Nara believed him.

* * *

Kagome came downstairs only ten minutes after Inuyasha and Nara had left. She found Inuyasha alone in the living room. He was staring blankly at the switched off television.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome whispered. He jumped before his golden eyes moved to look at her. Kagome lowered her eyes before speaking once more. "Where's Nara."

Inuyasha sighed and ran his large hand down his face.

"She went home."

Kagome blinked before taking a hesitant step towards the couch where Inuyasha was seated. Inuyasha noticed her pause and scowled. He didn't like the fact that Kagome was seemingly scared of him. He had noticed her behavior earlier on in the day and it annoyed him more than anything to know that his Kagome didn't want to approach him.

"You," Inuyasha began rudely causing Kagome to look at him before once again averting her eyes. Inuyasha's frown deepened. He held out his hand to her and looked at her expectantly. When Kagome didn't move he spoke. "Come here."

Kagome stared at Inuyasha, startled by his command. Normally she would have been upset by his rude command but at the time she wasn't thinking clearly with all the things that had occurred throughout the day. Without a thought Kagome made her way across the room and allowed Inuyasha to pull her onto his lap.

His hands moved to her waist before pulling her extremely close to his body. She could feel his nose buried close to her neck and the small puffs of air coming from his mouth. She couldn't help but blush for he had never done anything that intimate with her before. It made her uncertainties disappear.

"Um… where… why did Nara leave?" Kagome asked softly.

Inuyasha's hold on her waist tightened causing Kagome to gasp softly. He was holding on to her as if she were about to disappear and it made Kagome worry about him even more than usual.

"She suspects something and she left because I didn't tell her what was happening when she entered the room."

Kagome shivered as the warm air coming out from Inuyasha's mouth once again puffed again the sensitive skin of her neck. Inuyasha's actions were preventing her from thinking clearly therefore stopping her from coming up with a suitable response.

Before she could think Kagome slowly moved her hands from her lap to wrap around Inuyasha's neck. She leisurely rested her head on top of Inuyasha's, smiling when she felt his hair brushing against her ear. Oh how she wished that she could be with him like this openly. She wished that they could stay like that for an eternity but not all wishes were meant to come to pass.

"I love you," Kagome whispered and attempted to bring Inuyasha closer to her.

His reply was a grunt but Kagome knew that he was smiling and it filled her body with warmth. Despite all the confusion and all the torment that her mind was experiencing Kagome smiled and it was the first genuine smile that she had let out for the day. It felt so good to be close to Inuyasha.

"Kagome," Inuyasha began softly.

"Hm?"

"Let's go out."

"Go out?" Kagome questioned and pulled back to look at him. He was now scowling at her.

"Yes, wench! What part of 'go out' don't you get! I want to take you somewhere, just the two of us."

Kagome removed her hands from around Inuyasha's neck and folded them across her chest before pointing her nose high into the air.

"If that's how you're going to ask me then I refuse to _anywhere_ with _you_!"

Kagome was surprised when Inuyasha didn't reply with a witty comment. Instead she felt his hand grasp the back of her head and roughly pull her down for a kiss. The college student didn't know how to respond at first but quickly began kissing him back, her hands taking its place back around his neck.

They both pulled away a little while later. Inuyasha smirked when he saw Kagome's flushed cheeks. Kagome was about to respond but the sight of her mother staring at them stopped her.

Mrs. Higurashi smiled at the young couple before giving a slight chuckle.

"Why is it I always seem to walk in on you two?"

* * *

Nara walked into her apartment with tears streaming down her lovely face. She slowly shut the door behind her before sliding down to the floor helplessly.

Her body felt weak and she couldn't help but feel both angry and sad at the same time. Just what did Inuyasha mean when he told her that? Did that mean that he knew what was occurring with Kagome and didn't want to tell her?

'But that can't be possible! He just met her!" Nara's mind argued.

Or maybe he hadn't. Maybe he had known Kagome previously. Nara had the feeling that everyone knew something of importance and she was left out. She felt that something terrible was going on behind her back, yet everyone refused to tell her. Her past suspicions were arising and it was making her worry.

Just what had Inuyasha meant when he said that he would be able to tell her when things became less confused? Even more, why didn't he just tell her then? She wasn't stupid; she knew that she would be capable of understanding!

Nara pounded the soft carpet with her fist. Her level of anger and frustration were rising. She thought for a moment to call Inuyasha and ask him once more to tell her about the situation but something told her he wouldn't. She would remain in the dark, with no way of finding the light.

* * *

A/N: That's the end of chapter 17! Took a while… again. Well I think I'm over my block. Just hope that I am! So the next chapter should be up by next week, if it isn't I'm sorry in advance for my laziness! Thank you once more to my loyal readers and the great feedback I have received for this story! So if you wanna tell me what you think about this chapter hit the review button and leave a review for me. I would greatly appreciate it!

Neogirl


	18. Look After You

Disclaimer: I do not own anything dealing with Inuyasha but I do own my original characters such as the oh so sensitive Nara.

'Look After You' was performed by The Fray and I don't own this either.

Betrothed

Chapter 18- Look After You

* * *

A smile crept on to Kagome's face when she felt the warmth of the sun's rays hit her face. She looked up at the sky with a smile and saw only few clouds floating up in the vast sky. It was going to be a nice day.

"What the hell you staring at wench?"

_If I don't say this now  
I will surely break  
As I'm leaving the one_

Kagome lowered her head to stare at Inuyasha with a pout. Just leave it to him to destroy the moment. She wasn't exactly mad at him, for she was used to his rude attitude towards her but she still didn't like his frequent name calling.

It was only one week after Kagome found out about her pregnancy and she was more aware of what was occurring with her body. She had yet to tell anyone. Some part of her thought that maybe she would be able to keep it a secret from everyone, including the doctors at the clinic. Kagome was refusing to face reality.

With a sigh, Kagome moved over to Inuyasha and grasped his large hand. She didn't remember that last time that they had held hands. They were currently walking down the shrine steps together. She couldn't even recall the last time that the two of them had gone out in public together. Ever since she found out about Nara, Kagome wasn't to keen about going out with someone else's fiancé. She always had the fear that they would be caught together and that would cause even more problems for them.

Kagome snapped out of her thoughts when she felt a finger gently poke her temple. Light brown eyes looked at Inuyasha with surprise.

"Oi, you okay today, Kaggie? You're not paying any attention to anything!" Inuyasha stated and stared at her. It seemed that he was trying to decipher what was wrong with her by just looking into her eyes.

"I'm fine. You worry too much," Kagome said lightly and leaned in to kiss his cheek.

_I want to take  
Forgive the urgency but  
hurry up and wait_

Inuyasha was surprised by the affectionate gesture but that didn't stop him from coming up with a response to Kagome's comment.

"Keh, who's worried?"

Kagome beamed at Inuyasha. She had missed being with him like this. Just recently, their meetings had been mostly depressing because of Inuyasha's arranged marriage to Nara. She couldn't remember when they were this happy and calm around each other.

"So where are you taking me?" Kagome asked with a smile.

"It's too damn noisy here so I'm taking you somewhere far away from this place!" Inuyasha said without looking at her.

Kagome tilted her head and looked at Inuyasha curiously.

"How exactly are we getting there? You don't own a car, right?" Kagome asked and stared at Inuyasha, waiting for an answer.

His lips curved into a smirk and his golden eyes gleamed before responding.

_My heart has started to separate_

"Let's just say I _borrowed_ one of my brother's cars."

* * *

It was rather quiet in Sesshoumaru's study. The only sounds that were heard was the ticking of the large clock that was positioned in the corner of the room and of course Rin's continuous humming as she was drawing another one of her interesting masterpieces for her father. 

Rin raised her head before pushing her long bangs out of her face. Her eyes landed directly on her father. He was once again reading something on a piece of paper. Rin didn't understand why those papers were all that important, she also didn't understand why her father wouldn't let her draw pretty pictures on them. Her daddy confused her more than anyone.

_Oh, Oh,  
Be my baby  
Oh.  
Oh, Oh,_

She looked down at the picture that she had drawn with a smile. It was a picture of her daddy, her uncle, Inuyasha and her, all holding hands, with big smiles on their faces. Above the picture she had written in red 'My Family'. She had hoped to give it to her father but then she thought about giving it to Inuyasha.

Her contemplations were interrupted when the musical sound of the doorbell rang though the house. She happily got up from her small chair, leaving her drawing on her table. Rin excitedly ran out of the room, dashed down the stairs and speeded past the maid to make it to the door as fast as her little feet would take her.

She once again pushed her dark hair out of her face before tip toeing to reach the doorknob. When she managed to get the door open she was surprised to find a tall woman standing at the doorstep. She had dark hair that was pulled up into a neat bun and she was wearing a yellow, knee length dress. Rin lowered her hand that was resting on the doorknob to stare at this strange woman curiously.

"Hi there," the strange woman said before kneeling down so she was at Rin's level. "You must be little Rin. You probably don't remember me."

Rin looked at the woman suspiciously. Her father had specifically told her not to talk to any strange people. It occurred after some strange man tried to take her away from her school without her father's knowledge.

"Yes, what are you doing here?"

_Be my baby  
I'll look after you_

Rin turned around to find her father standing directly behind her. She turned around to look at the strange woman to find that she was now standing strait once more, dusting off some dirt from her yellow summer dress. She was looking at Sesshoumaru with a smile.

"It has been a while, hasn't it?" she said with a smile.

"Indeed it has. Why did you come here so suddenly, Nara?"

Nara smiled sadly and looked down at the gray floor beneath her.

"I want to talk… about Inuyasha."

* * *

Inuyasha watched with a small smile as Kagome's face it up. Her eyes sparkled with both joy and amazement while her mouth opened slightly, indicating her awe. She brought her fingers up to her pink lips and gasped softly. Her surprised brown eyes met his calm ones. 

"How… where…"

"It's owned by my family," Inuyasha responded.

_There now, steady love,  
so few come and don't go  
Will you want to ,  
be the one I always know_

She followed him as he walked past the large walls which prevented the outside world from seeing such a place. Kagome couldn't keep her eyes one place at all. It was absolutely breathtaking. She had never seen anyplace like it in her entire life and would never in a million years expect to set foot in such a place.

Surrounding them was mostly tall tress and there were small patches of lovely flowers which seemed to have now come into full bloom. There were a lot of sakura trees around them as well but they were almost bare since their time for blooming had passed. Right in the middle of the area was a small lake.

Inuyasha turned around to look at Kagome who had not spoken for a while. He was surprised to see her taking off her white sneakers. Her socks followed. He blinked several times, confused at her actions. He was about to ask her about her strange actions but Kagome spoke before he did.

_When I'm losing my control,  
the city spins around_

"It feels so nice here!" Kagome sighed and wriggled her toes in the moist grass. She looked up at Inuyasha who was still staring at her, looking baffled at her strange actions before beaming at him.

Inuyasha chuckled before walking over to the edge of the lake and sitting comfortably on the grass. He looked up at the tall tree shading him and saw rays of sun peaking through the gaps between some branches. This place always made him feel calm but yet it brought on memories that he had rather forget.

_You're the only one  
who knows, you slow it down_

He lowered his head when he heard the grass rustle next to him. Kagome had taken a seat next to him and was currently dipping her feet into the water. The smile on her face had disappeared but he could still the joy gleaming in her brown orbs. She was looking ahead with a thoughtful expression on her face.

"Here, seems to be almost unbelievable. I think I saw a picture of this place in your room," Kagome whispered before turning her attention to Inuyasha. She was frowning at him. "But when you came here, your eyes looked sad. Is everything, alright?"

Inuyasha stared at her with wide eyes. That was the last thing that he was expecting her to ask him. Also he would have never guessed that she would be able to read him so well. It seemed that

Kagome knew him well enough to know what he was feeling. Her worry made him feel extremely tender towards her.

_Oh, Oh,  
Be my baby  
Oh,  
Oh, Oh,  
Be my baby  
_

He lowered his eyes before once again looking at the lake before him. Small birds were currently flying across the water.

"I used to come here a lot, when my parents were still alive."

* * *

Rin frowned as she watched her father enter the living room with the strange woman. Sesshoumaru had specifically told her either to go play outside or to play with one of her toys. She was not to enter the living room under any circumstances which was strange since she normally could be present in the room when her father spoke with others. It made the child upset to know that he didn't want her there. Also it bothered her to know that her daddy was spending time alone with some strange woman, something that she had never seen him do before. Just for that Rin didn't like that Nara lady. 

Nara watched from the living room as little Rin slowly walked outside. The child was previously staring at them for a long time. Nara noticed the disappointment and hurt in the child's eyes, giving her the indication that Rin wasn't too pleased with her father spending time with someone she didn't know.

_I'll look after you  
And I look after you_

Nara smiled slightly. Inuyasha had told her that his niece was stuck on Sesshoumaru. She didn't understand at first since Sesshoumaru was known for being cold and uninviting but she guessed that Rin possibly brought out a tenderness that he didn't show with anyone else.

"So what is it you want to know about my idiot brother?" Sesshoumaru asked calmly, interrupting Nara's thoughts.

Nara sighed and looked down at her lap.

"He's been acting so strange lately. I don't know what's going on with him anymore," Nara said softly.

She looked up to see Sesshoumaru looking at her blankly. It scared her at times to know that he was capable of hiding all of his emotions and thoughts from everyone around him. She often wondered how anyone could be capable of that.

_If ever there was a doubt  
My love, she leans into me  
This most assuredly counts_

"Inuyasha has his own issues occurring right now. That idiot needs to figure out what he wants and how far he has to go to get it."

Nara tilted her head to the side. It seemed that everyone was speaking riddles. It was frustrating her so much to know that even Sesshoumaru, the one who wasn't even very close with Inuyasha, knew what was occurring. Why wouldn't anyone tell her directly? She wasn't a child anymore but everyone was treating her like one.

"Why won't… why won't you just tell me directly?" Nara asked softly. Her voice had quivered at the beginning. Something she didn't want to happen.

"Only Inuyasha could tell you. As far as I know, I am not involved with this matter."

_She says most assuredly_

* * *

_Oh, Oh,  
Be my baby  
I look after you  
After you  
_

Kagome slowly reached out her hand and rested it on Inuyasha's. He didn't look at her, which caused her even more worry but Kagome didn't bother to probe for she knew that he was thinking seriously about his past. Never had he mentioned that his parents had passed away. Despite her surprise, Kagome managed to keep a calm face.

_Oh, Oh,  
Be my baby  
Oh,_

Inuyasha sighed before turning his hand around to hold hers. Her hands were warm and from them Inuyasha received some comfort. It was funny how Kagome could make him feel better without uttering a word. It was once of the many things he loved about her. He gently squeezed her tiny hand and felt her do the same.

"When I was only a kid, my dad bought this place," Inuyasha began softly. Just my looking at his eyes Kagome could easily tell that he didn't like talking about it. "We came here a lot while I was growing up. Then my dad died… from cancer."

_It's always have and never hold  
You've begun to feel like home  
What's mine is yours to leave or take  
What's mine is yours to make your own_

Kagome's eyes widened. She moved closer to him before kissing his cheek gently. She knew what it felt like to loose a parent. To Kagome, her father was dead. He had died they day he had left her family without looking back.

"Inuyasha…"

"This place… was where my mother spent her last days. I remember coming home from school to find out that my mother had drowned… this same lake."

Kagome looked down at her feet which were floating in the clear water. She couldn't understand how something so beautiful and something that felt so warm and inviting could take a life. The simple lake seemed to be a powerful thing.

"I'm so sorry," Kagome whispered and once again looked at Inuyasha.

He wasn't crying but Kagome could feel the hurt that he was experiencing. His golden eyes told it all. She guessed that it must have been extremely painful for him. Kagome couldn't imagine what it would be like to lose both parents. Sure she had lost her father, but her mother was still present but Inuyasha had to deal without having any parents for a long time.

_Oh, Oh  
Be my baby  
Oh,  
Oh, Oh,  
Be my baby_

'I wonder if he felt lonely when he lost both parents.' Kagome thought to herself.

Inuyasha's eyes widened when he felt Kagome's hand come on his face. He closed his eyes and savored the affectionate touch that he was receiving from his love. Their lips met in a soft kiss. He wound both arms around Kagome's waist in an attempt to pull her closer to his body. Kagome responded by resting her hands on his shoulders.

They eventually pulled away from each other both panting. Inuyasha tightened his arms around Kagome's waist and buried his head in the space between her shoulders and neck. He inhaled her scent before pressing a kiss to her skin. He felt greatly comforted when Kagome's arms moved from his shoulders to around his neck.

_Oh,  
Oh, Oh,  
Be my baby_

_Oh,  
Oh, Oh,_

"I love you," Kagome said softly.

"You'll always stay with me, won't you?" Inuyasha murmured. Kagome could hear the desperation in his voice. He was slowly becoming dependant on her and that realization made Kagome's love for Inuyasha grow even more.

'I think we're both becoming dependant on each other,' Kagome thought.

She smiled and ran her fingers through his long sliver locks.

"Of course, I'll always be here."

_Be my baby  
Oh._

* * *

A/N: Well this is it. Again I tried to put a lot of emotion into this chapter and I hoped that I got it across to you guys! The next chapter should be up in mid August. I'm leaving on vacation on Tuesday. I'll be staying for ten days but as soon as I come back I promise to get writing as soon as possible! Well I hope you guys tell me what you think about this next chapter and thank you so, so much for the amount of support I've received. Constructive criticism is welcomed because it helps me to improve. Until next time, 

Neogirl


	19. “So if I hadn’t found out…”

Disclaimer: I said this eighteen times already and I plan on saying it again; Inuyasha is not mine.

Betrothed

Chapter 19- "So if I hadn't found out…"

* * *

The café that Kagome was sitting in was rather quiet except for the slight whispers from others seated at different tables. It was a quiet Sunday afternoon where the streets seemed to be almost empty up to the point where one would guess that the town was almost deserted. It was a good day to come out with a friend. Kagome wasn't too fond of crowds so the calm, quiet atmosphere helped to relax her.

Sango was seated across from her. Her longtime friend was sipping on a cup of hot tea while waiting for the waitress to come with their order. Her eyes were closed and her fingers were loosely wrapped around the tiny teacup.

"It has been a while, hasn't it Kagome-chan," Sango stated softly and rested the cup on the white, circular table before her.

Kagome smiled at her roommate. She had missed spending time with Sango. It had been yet another week and Kagome mostly spent her hours alone, thinking mostly of the baby that was rapidly growing in her body and other times thinking about Inuyasha. She had yet to tell anyone. Kagome was currently trying to get her strength together so that she could pay a visit to the clinic to see how many weeks she had been pregnant.

"Yes, it has been. I feel like I never see you anymore," Kagome said and smiled at Sango, "What have you been up to? I haven't seen Miroku for a long time as well."

"I've been helping Miroku move into his new apartment and taking care of my annoying little brother," Sango said with a chuckle. Sango's smile slowly slid off her face as she stared at her friend. She looked at Kagome seriously before speaking. "And how have you been, Kagome-chan?"

Kagome immediately averted her eyes and dug her fingernails into her jean covered legs. To sum it all up, Kagome's life had been in turmoil. She was in love with a man who was engaged to her cousin and not to mention the fact that two weeks ago she had found out that she was going to become a mother. She had missed having someone to confide in. Fighting her battles alone was beginning to take its toil.

"I've been okay," Kagome lied and kept her eyes downcast.

Sango saw strait through Kagome's lie. Ever since she had seen Kagome walk into the café, she had known that something wasn't quite right. Her friend's normally bright brown eyes had become dull and every time her friend smiled it was empty. The smiles that Kagome had given didn't meet her eyes once.

"Don't lie to me," Sango began seriously and continued to look at Kagome. Kagome had yet to meet her eyes and it sent Sango into further worry. "Kagome-chan, you know that you can tell me anything. I'll help you through it."

Kagome opened her mouth to speak but shut it when she couldn't think of anything suitable to say. She sighed and gathered her courage. She decided then that she would tell Sango. She knew that she was being foolish by hiding her pregnancy results for it would come into the open eventually.

"Sango-chan, I…"

Kagome stopped when the aroma of the cinnamon buns that the waitress had just brought to the table filled her nostrils. Her head spun for a moment and her stomach suddenly felt as if it were churning. It wasn't long before she tasted this morning's bacon and eggs. She quickly leaned over and let out the undigested food on the tiled floor.

The few people in the room stopped their actions to stare at Kagome who was leaning over vomiting while holding her flat stomach. The slight hum of voices ceased and the only sound that could really be heard was the sound of Kagome coughing and the splatter that the undigested food made when it hit the floor.

Sango rushed beside her friend and rested her hand on Kagome's back. Kagome was now having a coughing fit. Sango quickly took Kagome's glass of water which was on the table and handed to her friend. Kagome took the glass from Sango and quickly began gulping it down.

When she was finished, Kagome rested her glass on the table and slowly raised her body. She felt slightly weak but drinking the water had helped her. When her eyes met Sango, she knew that she had explaining to do. She sighed and slowly pushed away the plate that contained the buns, knowing that if she caught a whiff of it again she would start to throw up once more.

"Kagome-chan," Sango began before Kagome could speak, "The test was positive wasn't it?"

* * *

Nara sighed and adjusted one of the bags that were hanging from her shoulder. She had just returned from the nursery school that she assisted teaching in. They decided to get an early start to prepare for the new school year. The school board decided that all the classrooms needed new coats of paint and needed to stock up on some supplies.

She had just returned from the store with new packs of crayons, chalk, pencils and other stationary needed for both the students and teachers. She still had to purchase new chairs and drawing tables but she decided it would be best to return to the school with the items that she had required and get someone to help her with the small furniture.

Nara once again shifted the bag on her shoulder. Who knew that simple stationary could be so heavy. Her shoulder was currently throbbing. She quickened her pace to her destination, in hopes that the faster she got to the kindergarten, the faster she would get the heavy load off her shoulders.

Her quick stride came to an abrupt halt when her blue eyes caught sight of a figure with long, sliver hair. She stood there for a long time and stared. His back was turned to her but she was sure that it was Inuyasha. The man was sitting on a bench with another person, who had shoulder length hair that was pulled into a low ponytail.

'I wonder if I should go over to him,' Nara thought.

Nara continued to stare, lost in her thoughts. She had recently become very doubtful when it came to Inuyasha. Every time she spoke to him, she would be tempted to ask him once more what was going on but knew that he wouldn't answer. She still didn't know what he had to figure out. Sometimes she would come up with the conclusion that it had something to do with Kagome. She had attained the idea when she had seen Kagome two weeks ago. Her cousin looked so unlike herself and Inuyasha seemed to have been thoroughly informed about what was going on.

It seemed that the man that Nara was staring at sensed her for he turned around and stared right at her. It was indeed Inuyasha. Recognition flashed in his golden eyes before he turned around and said something to his friend, sitting across from him. Nara remained rooted to the spot with a blank expression on her face. She had no idea what to do.

She was rather surprised when Inuyasha and his friend began making their way towards her. Nara couldn't help but smile. She was being childish, to think that he would actually ignore her.

"What are you doing here?" Inuyasha asked. So it wasn't the friendliest of greetings but at least it was something.

"I'm just doing a bit of shopping for the school where I teach," Nara replied. Her eyes then moved over to the man standing next to her fiancé. He was rather handsome with long black hair and dark blue eyes. "And who's your friend. Mou, Inuyasha you've never introduced me to any of your friends!"

Inuyasha chuckled slightly and opened his mouth to speak but his friend immediately moved in front of Inuyasha and took Nara's free hand in his own. Nara blinked several times, trying to figure out what was happening.

"Why I'm Miroku, Inuyasha's former roommate. I have heard a lot about you Nara but I didn't expect you to be this breathtaking in person," Miroku said and delivered a kiss on Nara's tiny hand. Nara's flushed slightly for she was not used to such attentions.

Inuyasha sighed and rested a firm hand on Miroku's shoulder.

"You know if Sango caught sight of this, you'd be passed out on the floor right now," Inuyasha said casually.

Miroku's left eye twitched. He took a couple of steps back, putting a good distance between him and Nara.

Nara tilted her head to the side, obviously confused to what was going on. Inuyasha's former roommate sure seemed strange. Despite her feelings, Nara managed a smile. She shifted the bag on her shoulder once more. It was beginning to feel very heavy again and the fact that no one was saying anything further added to her discomfort.

"Well," Nara began and paused briefly to look at Inuyasha, "I have got to get going now. Don't want to keep the others waiting on me."

She was about to slowly walk away when Inuyasha stopped her by resting his large hand on her shoulder. Blue eyes clashed with golden ones and Nara could see that Inuyasha was genuinely concerned about her.

"Need help with that?" Inuyasha whispered.

Nara looked up at him helplessly. Maybe if it had been a month ago then she would have happily accepted but now she was so uncertain when it came to Inuyasha. The temptation to ask him about what was occurring would definitely come into her head once more. She didn't want to deal with any of those thoughts right now. Nara was having a considerably good day and all those uncertainties about Inuyasha would ruin it.

"Iie," Nara shook her head slowly. She smiled at Inuyasha and raised her hand to pat his shoulder. "I'm fine. I'll talk to you later. Nice you meet you, Miroku-sama."

She flashed them one last smile before continuing with her walk towards the kindergarten.

Inuyasha sighed and watched Nara until she disappeared into the crowd. Guilt was the main emotion he was feeling. Nara looked so pained to see him. He wanted to tell her but he was still so confused with what to do with Kagome and not to mention the fact that he didn't want to break Nara's heart.

"See seems like a nice girl."

Inuyasha moved turned to look at Miroku who was still looking in the direction where Nara had gone. He lowered his head before speaking.

"She deserves someone who loves her in return... and one who wouldn't go running around with her cousin," Inuyasha replied guiltily.

"You can't help the fact that you fell for Kagome. All you can do is make Kagome happy by getting out of this arrangement with Nara."

"You're right," Inuyasha agreed and looked at Miroku with a tiny smirk. "You know for a pervert, you give pretty good advice."

Miroku turned to look at Inuyasha with mock surprise.

"Of course I do! Just because I really like women doesn't mean I can't think logically!" Miroku said with wide eyes, pretending to be offended. "… but I must admit, Nara-chan has a cute little butt."

* * *

"Does Inuyasha know?" Sango asked and slowly took her seat across the table. Her eyes were still wide from what she had figured out.

Kagome looked down at the spot where she had vomited. The janitor had immediately cleaned the mess up and the café seemed to have returned back to its calm state even though Kagome knew that some people were still giving her glances.

Kagome shook her head before turning her attention back to her lap. She refused to look at Sango, not wanting to see the surprised look in her friend's dark eyes. Kagome felt that she was disappointing everyone. First there was her mother, then Sango but most of all she was feeling so disappointed in herself. She should have told Inuyasha when she had the chance but she chose to be a coward and keep it to herself.

"Am I the only person who knows?" Sango questioned. She was speaking slowly and making sure to think carefully about what she was about to say. Panicking would only make things even more chaotic.

Kagome nodded her head. She couldn't speak. She could barely think.

Sango frowned. Did this mean that Kagome hadn't even visited the doctor to see how far off she was? By looking at Kagome's lowered head Sango knew the answer. Instead of feeling sympathy for her friend, Sango became angry at her. She took in several deep breaths before speaking.

"So if I hadn't found out would you have told anyone?"

"I… I don't know," Kagome whispered and formed her tiny hands into fists on her lap. Her fingernails dug into her palms.

Sango's patience snapped and before she knew it, her anger was apparent on her face. She slammed her hand on the table, instantly gaining Kagome's attention and the attention of everyone in the café. The college student's head snapped up to look at Sango with surprised eyes.

"Damn it, Kagome you're almost twenty one! You can't be this irresponsible! What if I hadn't found out, huh? What would you have done? Would you have stayed like this, not telling anyone? You obviously couldn't have hid this forever!" Sango scolded. Kagome was still looking at her in surprise. Sango knew that the only way to get through to Kagome was to tell her the bitter truth. "You could have at least told Inuyasha! It's his child too!"

"I couldn't!" Kagome retorted. Her eyes widened even more as if she were surprised by her own words. She cast her eyes downward before continuing. "I don't… I don't want him to hate me. What if I tell him and he rejects me?"

Sango's anger melted away. She understood Kagome's fears but that still didn't mean that Kagome had to be so irresponsible. Sango reached over and took Kagome's hand which was now laying flat on the table. The girl's hands were trembling.

"Kagome-chan," Sango began softly and looked Kagome directly in her eyes, "Inuyasha loves you. Do you honestly think he'll stop loving you because of this?"

When Kagome shook her head Sango smiled.

"Promise me that you'll visit the clinic."

"I'll do it tomorrow. Could you… can you come with me?" Kagome asked hesitantly and averted her eyes. Sango squeezed Kagome's fingers and nodded.

"Good and Kagome-chan… I know it may be hard for you, but you need to tell Inuyasha. He needs to know," Sango said wisely and looked at Kagome seriously.

Kagome sighed and nodded. Sango was right. No matter how Inuyasha's reaction was, the deed was done. She was pregnant and Inuyasha was the one who should have been the first to know. Kagome just hoped that Inuyasha would accept the fact that no matter what occurred she was keeping the child. It was the first thing that she had decided ever since her test turned out positive.

* * *

A/N: Okay done with this chapter. I liked this chapter and I hoped you guys enjoyed it too. Again I must always thank my reviewers who are the ones who encourage me to continue and give me the extra push to write! Well the next chapter will be up… honestly I don't know. You'll just see, right? I'll work on it for sure though!

Neogirl


	20. Reminiscence

Disclaimer: I say this every time and I will say it again. Inuyasha is not mine.

Betrothed

Chapter 20- Reminiscence

* * *

"_So that's where you've been this whole time!"_

_Inuyasha stared at the girl before him in astonishment. Never before had he seen her display so many emotions on her face. Not once had he heard her raise her voice to such volumes. It made him worried to see her in such a state._

_Kikyou, was absolutely livid. Inuyasha could tell by the sharp spark in her brown eyes and the frown that was on her face. Not to mention the fact that her normally pale face was beginning to turn red. Her hands where tightened into fists and pressed stiffly at her sides, while her body shook with rage. _

"_I wanted to tell you, Kikyou but I was afraid that you wouldn't accept it," Inuyasha said softly and took a tentative step towards his girlfriend. _

_Her frown deepened before she turned her head away from him._

"_How do you expect me to accept the fact that you're engaged to someone else?" Kikyou responded bitterly. She turned her back to him so that he would not see her face. "My family was almost ready to accept you. Why did you tell me this now?" _

_Inuyasha stared at Kikyou taking in the words that she had just said to him. The word, accept kept on repeating itself in his mind. Anger slowly came into the mix of the many emotions that he was feeling at the time and before he knew it he had stomped towards her and grabbed her thin wrist, spinning her body around to face him. _

"_Accept… your family accepting me? Do you think I give a shit if your family accepts me? All that matters is that you accept me for who I am, which you haven't even tried to do! You always want to change something about me!"_

"_I don't!" Kikyou snapped and looked at him with fire burning deep within her eyes. "All I want, Inuyasha is for us to be together but that can't happen if…"_

"_If I stay the way I am now," Inuyasha finished for her and glared at the small girl standing in front of him._

_Her eyes widened before she snatched her hand out of his grasp. _

"_I never meant it like that!" Kikyou said defensively. _

"_Yeah, of course you didn't," Inuyasha responded dryly and moved closer to her. Kikyou retreated until her back hit the trunk of a tree and she had no choice but to stare into Inuyasha's golden eyes. Inuyasha saw fear flash across her face before it was once again replaced by anger. "Then tell me, why did you try to change me so much? Was it because I'm not good enough for you, the way I am now?"_

_Kikyou attempted to look away but Inuyasha grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him. She glared at him, anger still apparent on her face but Inuyasha was beginning to see another emotion forming. It was guilt and sadly enough, Inuyasha knew that he was right. _

"_I was just trying to help you," Kikyou whispered and closed her eyes in order to get away from Inuyasha's probing stare. _

"_Damn it!" Inuyasha said and slammed his free hand against the tree trunk. Kikyou jumped slightly before regaining her composure. _

_Inuyasha heard her sigh and part of him knew what was coming next. He prayed that he was wrong but when he felt Kikyou's cool hand move his fingers from her chin he prepared himself for what she was about to say._

"_Well, I don't see us going anywhere with this," her cold exterior had come into place. "I think it is best that we end it here."_

"_You know I don't want that," Inuyasha said softly and moved to press his forehead against hers. _

"_You're engaged Inuyasha. Even if it is not by your choice, you are still meant to marry that girl," Kikyou murmured. _

_He could see the tears forming within her eyes. Inuyasha was surprised for it was the first time he had ever seen Kikyou cry. It pained him to know that he was the cause of it. _

"_But…"_

"_It would have never worked out. We're from different classes and besides even if we were to stay together your fiancé would be in the way," Kikyou continued and moved her head so that Inuyasha's forehead was no longer touching hers. _

"_No she wouldn't have!"_

"_Then tell me, would you have left her for my sake?" Kikyou asked glared at him. Her eyes were filled with unshed tears and her lips were pulled down into a deep frown. They stared at each other for several moments, neither saying anything. When Inuyasha didn't respond, Kikyou pushed him away and picked up her bag that was on the lush green grass. _

_She turned around briefly to stare at Inuyasha. Her eyes had so much detestation in them that the high school student had to step back. _

"_I hate you, Inuyasha," she said softly. Those words held so much power, despite the volume in which they were said. _

_Kikyou gave him once final glance before walking away._

* * *

The first thing Inuyasha saw when he opened his eyes was the overly decorated ceiling directly above him. He shifted his attention to the window and saw that rays of light had managed to make its way into the large bedroom. Inuyasha sighed and sat up on the bed. He ran his hand down his face and sighed.

"_I hate you, Inuyasha."_

Who would have thought that five years later those words that his first love, Kikyou had uttered to him would still make his heart ache. Maybe it was so because he had never really had proper closure with Kikyou. After that day Kikyou had openly avoided all contact with him. If they were to interact she would always be cold and bitter towards him. After high school she never contacted him. Inuyasha was told by Miroku that Kikyou had gone away to study medicine in England. It hurt Inuyasha to know that there was a slim chance that he would ever see her again.

If only he wasn't engaged to Nara then things would have been different. Maybe then he would have still had a relationship with Kikyou and then…

Inuyasha shook his head rapidly. What was he thinking? Kikyou was part of his past. Now he had Kagome and if it hadn't been for him and Kikyou breaking up then he might have never met Kagome.

'I need to stop thinking about her,' Inuyasha thought and ran his fingers through his long, sliver locks.

Inuyasha's thoughts were cut short when he heard the turning of the doorknob. Sesshoumaru casually walked into the room with Rin clinging onto him. Inuyasha's brother was wearing a dark business suit. In one hand he held a leather briefcase while the other hand supported Rin's small body.

"Oi, you ever heard of knocking?" Inuyasha asked and glowered at his older brother.

Sesshoumaru said nothing. Instead he walked up to Inuyasha's bed and gently rested Rin on the while sheets. Despite being put down Rin kept a firm hold on her father's neck. Inuyasha could see the child's body shaking and the tears sliding down her cheeks.

"Take care of Rin for the week that I am out of the country. I want you to supervise the nanny's actions while here." Sesshoumaru explained completely ignoring Inuyasha's rude comment from before.

Inuyasha maintained his glare and opened his mouth to respond to Sesshoumaru's order but paused when he once again saw Rin's small body shake. He had to admit he did feel bad for Rin. The girl was practically part of her father, with her constantly following Sesshoumaru around. Sesshoumaru was only leaving for one week yet Rin was acting as if her father was leaving Japan forever.

"Fine," Inuyasha mumbled and avoided eye contact with his older brother, "But just know I ain't doing this for you."

"Rin I have to go now," Sesshoumaru stated indicating that he wanted the child to release him.

Rin lowered her head and let go of her father's neck. Inuyasha could clearly see a red marks on Sesshoumaru's neck from where Rin's nails had dug into the skin. In what Inuyasha assumed to be an act of affection, Sesshoumaru touched to top of his daughter's forehead and stared at the child for a while before silently leaving the room.

Rin's head remained low. Inuyasha could still see the tears falling on the light coloured sheets. Without thinking Inuyasha reached for the child and brought her body to his. Rin accepted the awkward embrace by clinging on to Inuyasha's shirt.

"Oi, don't go crying now. The bastard will be back in no time."

Rin looked up at him with glassy eyes and frowned. A week may seem like a short time for her uncle but it seemed to be an eternity for Rin. She had never spent more than a few hours away from her adopted father so it was rather surprising to her that he would decide to go away so long.

Inuyasha was looking at her with seemingly kind eyes, an expression that she had never received from her uncle before. It gave Rin the security that she needed. At least she had Inuyasha around so that she wouldn't be alone. It was then the child decided that she would rather stay with her uncle than be around that nanny that her daddy had employed.

The woman was rather young and what everyone would consider pretty but Rin didn't trust her. The nanny eyed her father strangely and seemed to always want to be near Rin's father. Also the nanny's light eyes were cold and when she smiled Rin often felt a chill go through her body but not once did the child complain to her father about her discomfort when she was around the babysitter, for the fear that she might cause him more trouble.

"You want to go somewhere today?" Inuyasha asked and ruffled Rin's brown hair.

That caused Rin to giggle slightly before nodding her head. She smiled at Inuyasha before hugging him once more.

* * *

"By the looks of it Miss Higurashi you going into your fourth week of pregnancy," the doctor said while looking at the paper rested on his desk before him.

He eyes moved up to look at his new patient. She was quite young in his opinion. Her dark raven locks were pulled back into a high ponytail showing off her pretty face. She had light brown eyes which held great warmth in them. The doctor knew that he would be a liar if he said he wasn't attracted to the woman sitting in his office.

Kagome was trying her best to keep her composure. The presence of Sango sitting there holding her hand helped Kagome slightly. It was good to know that Sango was always there to help support her. Kagome squeezed Sango's hand slightly in hope to tell Sango how grateful she was without using words. Sango seemed to understand the gesture for she smiled at Kagome.

"So you plan to keep the child I assume."

For the first time Kagome looked at the doctor. Her response to the question was a hesitant nod before her eyes once again fell to her lap.

The room remained silent for quite some time. Kagome managed to look up at the doctor to see that he was now scribbling down something on a sheet of white paper. She stared at him wondering what he could possibly be writing down that associated with her previous response to his simple question. The atmosphere of the room was making Kagome nervous and a bit woozy. She looked across at Sango helplessly expressing her distaste with the situation that she was in. Sango frowned at her friend and mouthed 'be strong' to Kagome.

Kagome sighed and looked down at her flat stomach. She had decided after a long consideration that she was going to make the baby. It hadn't been for long but Kagome was beginning to feel a growing connection with the life growing within her. There was no way that she was going to let this baby go. She just hoped that Inuyasha would feel the same way she did.

"Then Miss Higurashi," the doctor began, cutting Kagome's thoughts short and the long stretch of silence in the room, "I would like to see you at least once a week for now just to see how you're coming along."

"Oh but I would not be here for long because I have to go…"

Kagome stopped herself from speaking when she remembered her current state.

'Would I even go back to college now?'

Kagome knew that her school contained quite a bit of pregnant students around campus but most of them, if not all of them lived off campus. She wondered if she would even be able to stay in her dorm if the school board found out that she was pregnant. Her family didn't have much money ever since her father had left them. It was already taking a lot out of her mother to help fund Kagome for college so Kagome knew that living off campus was not an option.

"What my friend is saying is that she has to go back to college in the fall so she would be in another city. Therefore she would not be in town when she's ready for birth," Sango explained and ignored the uncertain look in Kagome's eyes.

"Oh I understand," the man said and walked up to the two women until he was standing before them. He looked at Kagome with a smile hoping to bring some cheer to the young woman's face. "Then I would like to see you until you have to go out of town again."

"Hai. I understand," Kagome said softly.

When the two had left the office Kagome had let out a breath that she didn't know that she was holding. It felt that finally she was beginning to do something right. Sango was the one to thank for that for Kagome knew that if Sango hadn't found out then Kagome might have waited until it was too late to do anything. Now that one thing was settled there was only one thing left to do and that was to tell Inuyasha.

* * *

"So what have you been up to?" Nara asked and cradled the phone in her hands.

"Just taking care of that bastard's daughter."

Nara grinned for she could hear him smiling. By what she had heard Inuyasha also adored Rin and it was obvious in the way he spoke of her.

"Oh," Nara said not knowing what else to say to him. They had been on the phone for about a half an hour and Nara noticed that she was feeling strange while talking to him. Thoughts of doubt still haunted her mind every time she spoke or came into contact with Inuyasha. She still had a great urge to ask him what was wrong but something held her back. It was almost like she didn't want to know at the same time. She was beginning to become frustrated with herself.

"So we haven't spent some time alone in a while," Nara began softly. She was beginning to become desperate to spend time with him. She had missed him greatly and the fact that he was always so busy bothered her.

"Yeah," Inuyasha responded flatly. Nara frowned. "Well for this week I'll be busy. I'm taking the kid to Disney Land two days from now if you want to come along." Nara noticed how hesitant he seemed to invite her. She was tempted to turn the offer down but her great desire to be near Inuyasha dictated her way of thinking.

"Sure I'll see you then."

"Well I got to go. I'll call you."

There was no excitement in his voice at all nor did he seem interested in the conversation. Nara held back a sigh and responded to him as brightly as she could.

"Well then have a good night," she paused and looked down at her pink carpet. "And Inuyasha… I love you."

He remained quiet for sometime before he spoke again.

"Good Night, Nara."

"Night," Nara said and frowned. He had yet to return her feelings and it pained her to know that every time she admitted her love to him he would never respond the way she wanted him to. She waited until she heard the click of the phone on the other line before she too hung up the phone.

Nara lay back on her bed and closed her eyes. Now she felt even more doubt than before.

* * *

A/N: This chapter would have been up way earlier, like three days after chapter 19 but then that chapter would have been complete crap so I rewrote this chapter and I like it way better than the other on. Actually I didn't even like the first one so I hope you guys liked this chapter and that I get some feedback on how I did after keeping you guys waiting for so long. School is starting for me on Monday so I won't have tones of time to write but I'll work on the next chapter in my free time. Until next time,

Neogirl


	21. When Reality Sets In

Disclaimer: Inuyasha doesn't belong to a plain simpleton like me.

Betrothed

Chapter 21- When Reality Sets In

* * *

It was a warm Tuesday afternoon and Kagome found herself sitting alone in a park near to her home. Dusk was soon approaching and she could feel the slight chill that the night's air usually contained. It was once again a quiet afternoon around the town except maybe for the park which was filled with toddlers and children playing in the grass and in the play areas.

Kagome didn't really know how she arrived at the place. She had decided to take a long walk by herself to think things over. She was ultimately still confused about what action to really take. Sango had been extremely helpful by getting her to go to the clinic and convincing her that it was best to tell Inuyasha about the little life that they had both created. She walked down the pavement for a long time, thinking of ways to tell her family but mostly thinking of how she would tell Inuyasha.

Naturally she was still terrified for what his reaction would be but reality had given her a rather hard slap across the face, indicating to her that she could not keep it in the dark forever. It was then she decided that she would meet up with Inuyasha on Wednesday and tell him. Kagome just wanted to get it over with. It would be better for her mental condition and part of her hoped that this would give Inuyasha the push to get out of the engagement in Nara.

Kagome couldn't help but feel guilty when she thought about her cousin. She hadn't spoken to Nara in a while. Nara was one whom Kagome was very close with but Kagome didn't feel very comfortable around her cousin anymore. There would always be that feeling of shame that she was betraying her cousin by going around with Inuyasha and Kagome often got flares of jealously when she thought of Inuyasha and Nara spending time together. She knew it was foolish for Inuyasha didn't love Nara that way but Kagome couldn't help what she felt.

'Maybe the best thing to do is to tell Nara all about it,' Kagome thought and frowned. Even though her mind suggested it, Kagome knew that she couldn't do it for it would break Nara's heart.

The musical ringing of her cell phone interrupted her thoughts. Kagome raised the device to her eyelevel and stared at the number. There was no doubt that it was Nara calling her. Kagome sighed and watched the phone ring for sometime before exhaling loudly and flipping the phone open.

"Hello," Kagome said and tried to keep her voice calm.

"Kag-chan!" Nara's voice was filled with enthusiasm, "I haven't heard from you in such a long time and every time I call you I always get your voicemail!"

Kagome collected her thoughts before speaking.

"Well my phone's battery stopped working on me and it wouldn't charge so I had to repair it," Kagome lied. She hoped that she sound at least a little believable. The truth was that she had been avoiding all of Nara's calls. When her cousin called at home Kagome made sure to tell her mother to tell Nara that she was out. Kagome felt terrible for making her mother lie for her but Kagome just wasn't ready to talk to Nara for it hurt too much.

"Oh well I want to catch up with you! I was wondering if you could meet me somewhere tomorrow so we could spend time together."

Kagome frowned. That was the last thing in the world that she wanted to do. Kagome thought up of various excuses to help get out of the arrangement but unfortunately she didn't come up with any suitable enough.

"Sure. Where would you like to meet me?"

"Well it's kind of a weird place but…"

* * *

Rin sat high on her uncle's shoulders. Her small hands were resting on his head, holding a fistful of his sliver hair between her fingers. Her light brown eyes were glowing with pent up anticipation and her mouth was opened slightly, giving away her surprise at the place. It seemed that she couldn't keep her eyes focused on one particular area of the park.

"Look Uncle Yasha!" she began with her voice barely above a whisper, "It's Mickey!"

Inuyasha looked to where the child was pointing and caught sight of a life sized mouse with an oversized head walking around the park waving a the people passing it by. Inuyasha shuddered slightly. Maybe this place was a bit too happy for him with the large castle, the loud peppy music in the background and the Disney characters running gaily around the park but at least the place made Rin happy.

By the first hour they had gone on a few rides for Rin seemly was having trouble making up her mind when it came to where she wanted to go. It was obvious that she was having a good time for Inuyasha noticed that she smile had never left her face. He could still see the excitement in her eyes and noticed how overwhelmed she still was. Much to her pleasure, Rin had gotten to meet Mickey Mouse and got a hug from Cinderella. Inuyasha had simply stood by and tried not to grimace at the characters hugged and talked to his niece.

Rin was now hugging a stuffed toy that Inuyasha had bought for her. He had decided to carry her once more on his shoulders after finding it easy not to loose her that way. Also Rin seemed to enjoy riding on his shoulders.

Inuyasha stopped walking when he felt the slight vibration of his phone in his pocket. He let go of Rin's knees, causing the child to grip on to Inuyasha's hair to prevent herself from falling off her uncle's shoulders. Inuyasha didn't have to check the caller id to know who it was. Only one person would really be calling him today.

"Yeah, hello," Inuyasha said into the mouthpiece after flipping the phone open.

"Hi Inuyasha," Nara began. He could hear the noise from the crowd in the background. It immediately confirmed the fact that she had arrived at the park. He listened as she spoke of how large the park was and as her conversation directed in how to find him. He gave her a landmark before hanging up the phone.

"Who was that, Uncle Yasha?" Rin asked and brought her hands to rest on his eyes for a brief moment before moving them down to rest on his ears.

"Just a friend of mines. You wouldn't mind if she came along with us, right?" Inuyasha asked and held her knees to steady her.

Rin tilted her head to the side. It was odd for she thought today that it was going to be only her and her uncle and the fact that he said 'she' had her puzzled and slightly worried. Rin knew how women acted around her father and she had seen a couple of times how strange women acted around her uncle. It made her feel uncomfortable when they would fight hard to be close to them and faked niceness that they portrayed whenever talking to her.

Inuyasha seemed to notice the silence coming from his niece and frowned. That definitely wasn't a good sign. He just hoped that things would go over nicely between Nara and Rin. All he wanted was for Rin to have a good time so she wouldn't be sulking over her father and it was working so far. Knowing that Nara was an assistant teacher for children he assumed that they would get along rather well.

"Thank you, Uncle Yasha," Rin said suddenly. Inuyasha raised one eyebrow.

"What for?" he asked gruffly hiding his surprise.

Rin smiled slightly and hugged the stuffed animal even closer to her body.

"For taking Rin out today," she stated her smile widening. Her grin slowly slid off her face as she continued, "I don't like that nanny lady very much."

"Keh, it was nothing. You needed to stop sulking over that bastard," Inuyasha said and smirked slightly as he thought of the red marks on Sesshoumaru's neck left by Rin's fingers.

Rin tiled her head to the side in confusion and looked down at her uncle's head

"Bastard?" she repeated, indicating that she had never heard the word before.

Inuyasha winced. The last thing he wanted was to be accused of passing on his _colorful_ language onto his niece. Sesshoumaru would definitely not like to hear sweet, little Rin bolting out curse words at people and Inuyasha knew that he would be the first one to blame.

"Listen kid," Inuyasha began carefully, "Don't go repeating any of those words to your daddy or anyone, okay."

"Okay," Rin confirmed. He could hear the slight confusion in her voice but accepted her answer, knowing that she would listen to him. He grunted, happy that he didn't have to explain what the word bastard meant. That would be way to confusing for him. Inuyasha made a mental note not to cure in front of Rin again. Who knew what other words she could overhear?

Inuyasha's worries were cut short when he felt a gentle tap on his shoulder. He turned around slowly, aware of the child sitting on his shoulders and immediately saw Nara standing before him with both hands behind her back and a large grin on her face. She seemed genuinely happy to see him. It had been a while since they had met and even Inuyasha had to admit that it was good to see her once more.

Rin stared at the woman. She recalled when that same lady visited their home to talk to her father. She wasn't too fond to that lady then and she wasn't too fond of her now. She didn't even recall the woman's name but her face, Rin would never forget. The child immediately felt suspicion. She was curious to what this lady was to her uncle but more importantly her father.

"It's good to see you, Inuyasha," Nara said honestly and walked closer to him. She was about to hug him but then noticed Rin looking down at her curiously. Nara still didn't understand why she received such an odd look from the child. It almost brought Nara to the thought that Rin wasn't too fond of her. Pushing those thoughts aside Nara moved on her toes and beamed at Rin, "Hey there, Rin."

Rin looked at the woman for a long moment before mumbling a barely audible 'hi' in response.

Inuyasha looked at Nara. She was staring at him with a look that he often received from Kagome. Guilt began seeping into his system, as it did every time he spent time with her. He shifted uncomfortably before averting his gaze away from hers.

"So," Nara said after a long stretch of silence, "Where are you guys heading off to?"

"Well it's up to the kid here," Inuyasha said and looked up at Rin who was still staring at Nara strangely.

Nara looked away uncomfortably before her eyes widened. She suddenly turned around before scanning their surroundings. Inuyasha frowned. Why did she seem so worried about something?

"What's the matter?" Inuyasha asked.

"I just noticed I can't find…"

"Nara!"

The two adults focused their attention to where the voice came from. When Inuyasha caught sight to light brown eyes and long raven tresses, he swore that he was dreaming. Kagome didn't seem to notice him yet for she was still speaking as she pushed her way through the crowd to get to them.

"I lost you there for a second. I was looking everywhere for you. Next time we should really link hands because it's…."

Kagome's words trailed off as she caught sight of the man standing before her. Her eyes widened and her heart thudded deep within her chest. There was no way this was happening to her. Kagome wondered if this was fate's cruel joke on her, to put both her and Inuyasha in uncomfortable positions with each other. By the look on Inuyasha's face, Kagome knew that he wasn't expecting her to be present at the time. When Nara invited her Nara said that they were meeting someone but she didn't mention who it was. Kagome mentally slapped herself for not picking up that it was Inuyasha. That was really the only person Nara would be so excited to meet.

'Kami, why does this always happen?'

Inuyasha couldn't take his eyes off Kagome. He had missed her greatly and seeing her now, looking so pretty in a blue shirt and pair of tight fitting jeans made him want to grab her and kiss her senseless. He just hoped that those thoughts weren't showing on his face. He tore his gaze away from her and looked at the floor. If Nara saw them making so much eye contact then she would definitely ask questions.

Rin, who was completely oblivious to the inward conflict between two of the adults stared at the new girl before her. She was what one would consider pretty and when their eyes met Rin saw the warmth in them. She gently touched her uncle's head in order to gain his attention.

"Who's that lady there, Uncle Yasha?" she asked and stared at the new lady.

"That's Nara's cousin, Kagome," Inuyasha informed the girl. Kagome smiled at Rin and waved slightly, earning a tiny, smile from Rin.

"Uncle Yasha I want to go on that!" Rin said excitedly and pointed at a large water slide.

"Fine, fine," Inuyasha said and began walking towards the ride. He was just happy to move from that spot. All the tension was getting to him and the fact that Kagome's eyes seemed to never leave him made him extremely uncomfortable. He really didn't want this. He felt slightly angry at Nara for bringing Kagome along with her. He thought that Nara would come by herself and then there would be no problem.

'But with Kagome here someone's bound to get hurt.'

Inuyasha had a strong feeling that that person would be Kagome. When Nara held on slightly to the back of his shirt, Inuyasha was sure that if Kagome stayed she would be hurt. She always was in these situations. He turned around and saw Kagome trailing behind them, her eyes seemly out of focus. His discomfort grew but he continued walking towards the ride. He knew for a fact that it was going to be a painfully long afternoon.

* * *

"Do you like it?" Kagome asked the child with a grin and bent down so she was at the young girl's level.

"Yes, very much!" Rin replied with a smile and took another bite of the cotton candy.

Inuyasha and Nara watched from a short distance as Rin giggled with Kagome. It seemed after spending about an hour and a half at the park together Rin had taken a liking to Kagome. She had long forgotten Inuyasha and was now clinging onto Kagome, asking the older girl various questions. Kagome seemed enjoy Rin's company as well for she was always smiling when she spoke to the child and spoke warmly to Rin. Rin was now humming and holding Kagome's hand as they walked towards Inuyasha and Nara.

"Look Uncle Yasha, Kagome bought me a cotton candy!" Rin said excitedly and took another bite of the sweet treat.

"Anything for you, Rin-chan,' Kagome replied and noted how cute the child was she smiled. She looked at Inuyasha and smiled slightly. She wanted to avoid all contact with Inuyasha for the time being, knowing that it would be best to discuss the situation later.

Nara was now holding Inuyasha's hand. She was beaming which made Kagome feel guilty and envious at the same time. Guilt was stronger for Kagome saw firsthand how happy her cousin was when she was with Inuyasha. There was a slight blush on her cheeks and she looked absolutely blissful that Kagome had avoided looking at Nara. It made her insides burn. Her conscious accused her of being ultimately deceitful, making Kagome want to scream out but she couldn't and there was no way that she was going to show her vulnerability around everyone. At least Rin's company made her feel better.

"Well it looks like someone has grown to love you," Nara said with a smile. Kagome looked up at the couple standing before her to find Nara whispering something in Inuyasha's ear. She turned away and attempted to remove all bitter thoughts from her mind. Inuyasha saw this and sighed. He really wished that he could go home now but the fact that Rin was enjoying herself held him back.

Nara looked at Inuyasha's facial expression and frowned. Once again she felt that he wasn't happy to be with her. Her uncertainties began when she had grasped his hand. She could have sworn that she felt his muscles stiffen before he eventually held her hand back. Ever since she had arrived with Kagome Inuyasha had had a far off expression on his face. That expression normally came when he looked at her cousin it was definitely odd. Nara so desperately wanted to know what was going on with him.

"_I'm sorry but I don't even know right now. When things do get less confused then I'll be able to answer that question."_

Still Nara didn't understand that statement that Inuyasha had made. She had thought up of various situations that he could be referring to but they didn't add up to his behavior.

"_Inuyasha has his own issues occurring right now. That idiot needs to figure out what he wants and how far he has to go to get it."_

'What is it that he needs to figure out and why can't he confide in me?' Nara thought and once again began to become frustrated with Inuyasha. She simply didn't understand him. She was tempted to ask him about what was bothering him, and tell him that he could trust her to help him but her mouth remained shut.

Inuyasha seemed to notice her staring at him for he turned to look at her with a puzzled expression.

"What?" he asked and looked at her. Nara stared at Inuyasha for a long time, contemplating whether or not she would be truthful to him. They remained staring at each other for a long time. Nara opened her mouth, deciding that it would be best to deal with the issue now but was stopped when Rin spoke.

"I need to go to the bathroom," Rin said.

"I'll take you," Kagome said without looking at the couple standing beside them. She took off with Rin before anyone could say anything.

Inuyasha stared after Kagome, sensing her great discomfort but did nothing to stop her, nor did he bother to go after her knowing that Nara would find it odd. He too was feeling rather uncomfortable with Nara who had been staring at him the entire afternoon with an unreadable expression on her face. Her eyes were once again on him. Inuyasha could feel it. He didn't bother to look at her, knowing that he would feel even more discomfort.

"Inuyasha," Nara said softly indicating that she desired his attention. He still didn't look at her but shifted so that Nara would know that he was listening. Nara frowned and slowly let go of his hand. She needed to speak to him about how she felt and having any body contact with him was making her head spin with bliss which in turn prevented her from thinking clearly.

"I… Inuyasha I love you," Nara continued and saw the muscles in his shoulders stiffen like they usually did when she confessed her love to him. "I… I'm worried about you and I love you, I love you so much that I…" Nara trailed off and looked down at the pavement beneath her feet. She took in a deep breath before continuing. "When you're with me, are you ever happy?"

Inuyasha's eyes widened at her question. She had said it so softly that Inuyasha had barely heard her. She was avoiding all eye contact at him. In fact her eyes were downcast and her hands were entwined tightly in front of her stomach indicating that she was worried about his response. Inuyasha sighed and looked away from her for it was too painful to see her face. He knew eventually that he would have to face this with Nara.

"Most times I am," he answered truthfully.

"Then why don't you ever show it? Why do you always show such an expression when I am with you?" Nara asked and this time she looked at him. Inuyasha noticed the rise in her voice. He could hear the frustration behind her words.

"I've got some things on my mind that…"

"Inuyasha, do you love me?" she questioned as her eyebrows lowered on her face. He looked at her for a brief moment and saw so many emotions on her face that he had to turn away.

Nara felt the tears building up behind her eyes before she felt the cool tears running down her cheeks. Most times crying would be comforting for her but this time the tears brought with it a heart wrenching pain in her chest. The pain grew immensely when Inuyasha didn't answer her question. She didn't think that anything was capable of hurting her so much. She refused to look away though and she wasn't going to wipe away the tears. Instead she would look at him, keeping her face strong until she attained an answer.

* * *

Kagome was walking with Rin hand in hand. Rin was once again humming a happy tune. Kagome tried her best to keep her composure. She could feel the stress factor setting in. Just seeing them together hurt Kagome more than anything. She was just so happy to get away from them, even if it was for a short while. Inuyasha looked torn and Kagome knew that he felt that way but it still hurt her to see that he didn't do anything to move away from Nara. She didn't understand why Inuyasha didn't just tell Nara how he truly felt.

'The same reason you won't tell Nara, because it would crush her,' Kagome's mind reminded her. Kagome cursed herself for being so logical and tightened her hold on Rin's hand. Rin looked up at the adult briefly before looked ahead of her once more.

They were now returning back to the spot where Inuyasha and Nara was and Kagome was dreading the moment where they would meet up again. Her heart felt so heavy that she didn't want to do much of anything. She brushed her hand against her forehead when she noticed that she was receiving a small headache.

It was only on returning that she noticed the various smells around her. Her stomach churned and the world around her spun for a short moment before stopping. Kagome knew what was coming soon after. She gently pulled her hand out of Rin's grasp. Kagome impulsively went on her knees and vomited the lunch that she had earlier consumed. She felt Rin's small hand touch her back and once again she had drawn a crowd of people.

Kagome looked up briefly and to her surprise saw both Inuyasha and Nara looking at her. Her stomach churned once more but not because of the morning sickness but because of fear. A dark part of her mind taunted her with thoughts of dread.

'After seeing this I'm sure he'll figure it out…'

Kagome shook her head and was about to stand up but once again realized that more of her lunch was on its way up. She caught a brief glimpse of Inuyasha and saw the surprise and worry reflecting in his golden orbs. She guessed that if Nara wasn't there that he would have already rushed to her side.

'When he finds out he's going to despise you…'

Kagome squeezed her eyes shut as negative thoughts entered her mind. She didn't want to believe them. She tired to remember Sango's words of reassurance but none of them came to mind causing her to fall prey to her insecurities. She saw his golden eyes blazing with anger. She saw him rejecting her as she told him. She saw him turning away from her and going to Nara and it hurt. It hurt so badly that she couldn't take it. Tears began to stream out of her eyes and her heart burned painfully in her chest. She reached up and grasped where the pain came from and attempted to stand.

Kagome stumbled to her feet, unable to look anywhere at the time. She took one small step before stumbling forward once more. Her feet didn't seem as if they could hold her anymore so she fell forward only to be caught by Inuyasha. His arms tightened around her for a brief moment before everything in her world went black.

* * *

A/N: Wow that chapter took a lot outta me! Well I wrote this extra long chapter and I hope that it was worth the wait. I tried my best with this chapter and it's the longest chapter that I have ever written for this story so far! I hope you guys like it and hopefully I would get positive feedback for this chapter. Thanks for the reviews once more. It was by re-reading my reviews just yesterday that gave me the push I needed to finish this chapter. I'll update as soon as I can!

Neogirl


	22. It’s Time for You to Know

Disclaimer: Inuyasha is still not mine.

Betrothed

Chapter 22- It's Time for You to Know

* * *

Inuyasha sat outside in the waiting room at the clinic. Rin sitting next to him, her eyes showed her concern for her new friend. Nara was in the room with Kagome for the doctor only allowed one person in the room as he inspected Kagome. Nara had immediately said that she would be the one to go in the room, leaving both Inuyasha and little Rin to worry about Kagome.

Inuyasha was quickly loosing his patience. The doctor had been in there with the door closed for about a half an hour. No one had exited or entered the room during that time and as time passed Inuyasha's worry for Kagome grew. It was almost to the point where he couldn't contain it. That was the first time that Inuyasha had seen her look so sickly. When he had first seen her throw up on the floor his instinctive reaction would have been to run to her and see if she was okay but he stopped himself when he remembered that Nara was right next to him. He felt terrible for standing there, watching her in pain but if Nara had seen him then she would have become suspicious.

Once again Inuyasha looked at the white door, only to see that it hadn't opened. He sighed and shifted his attention to something else in the room. His eyes landed on Rin. She was staring at the stuffed toy in her hand and gently rubbing the soft material of it. He could tell by her blank expression that she was thinking of Kagome. He rested his hand on her head causing her to stare up at him. He smiled before ruffling her hair. That caused Rin to giggle slightly and rest her hand on top his.

The opening of the door caught both Inuyasha's and Rin's attention. The child stood up immediately and stared as the doctor walked out of the room with a smile. Rin immediately ran up to him and asked him if she could go inside. As soon as the doctor nodded Rin dashed inside and disappeared into the room.

Inuyasha stood up and raised his eyebrow indicating that he wanted to know what was going on with Kagome. The doctor stared at Inuyasha for sometime before speaking.

"She's fine," he began and looked at the clipboard that he held in his hand, "It's just some stress and in her condition stress is not the best thing for her to be going through right now. The baby wasn't affected at all and…"

Something snapped in Inuyasha's mind. He blinked several times before it occurred to him what the young doctor had just said. He looked at the man before him, uncertain of what to say. Maybe he was hearing things for he swore that he had just heard…

"Hey what do mean by baby?" Inuyasha asked in a low voice and narrowed his eyes.

The doctor looked at Inuyasha, puzzled. For a moment Inuyasha truly thought that he had misheard something. Maybe all this worrying over Kagome was messing with his thinking and his hearing.

"She's pregnant. Didn't you know? I guessed that you were her boyfriend when I saw you so you were the only one I told this to."

Inuyasha's eyes suddenly became wide with shock and disbelief. There was no way that this could be real. Maybe he was dreaming. Yes, that was it! He was having a really long nightmare and he was going to wake up from it just now and find out this entire day had been fictional after all. Inuyasha shook his head to clear all those random thoughts. If he kept up like this he would go crazy.

'Pregnant. She's pregnant… with my…'

It was only then all of it made sense to Inuyasha. Her vomiting, Inuyasha guessed had to have been morning sickness and he then remembered a couple of weeks back when he had caught sight of her looking down sorrowfully at her stomach. Suddenly all of Kagome's odd behavior was becoming understandable but what he still didn't understand was why he wasn't informed about it. It hurt him to know that after all this time that they had been spending together she had not even given a hint to what was occurring with her.

Anger suddenly seeped into his system. The fact that Kagome hid something so important from him was making him furious with her. He glowered at the door keeping him from seeing Kagome before turning to the doctor.

* * *

Kagome had woken up to find both Rin and Nara sitting around her. She slowly shifted her attention to around the room and found that the place looked rather familiar. It was then that Kagome remembered that it was the same clinic that she had attended with Sango. Kagome looked down and found herself lying down on a white bed, the cream sheets covering her body. The memories from the park flashed into her mind and with fear she looked around for Inuyasha but found that he wasn't present.

'I guess he left.'

Kagome didn't have much time for negative thoughts for both Nara and Rin had begun speaking with her. Rin climbed up on the bed and kneeled before Kagome and began to ask her various questions about her health. Nara too asked question about how she was feeling. Kagome answered them all patiently. When both of them inquired about her fainting, Kagome lied and told them that she had been feeling ill since earlier on in the day. She felt bad about lying to them but didn't want anyone else to know before Inuyasha.

"I'm glad that you're okay, Kag-chan," Nara said and smiled.

"Uh huh, me too!" Rin added and beamed.

Kagome was about to respond but her words remained in her throat when the door was roughly pushed open, so that when it hit the wall there was a long bang. Kagome looked at the door and saw Inuyasha standing at the entrance. Dark brown eyes looked into golden eyes for a long moment before Kagome looked away.

"Get out, all of you," Inuyasha said calmly.

"What do you mean Inuya…"

"I said get the hell out of the room, both of you!" Inuyasha snapped. His voice had become extremely loud causing everyone in the room to stare at him in awe.

Nara looked at Inuyasha and for a moment felt fear. She didn't understand why Inuyasha would want her to leave the room. What could he have to discuss with Kagome and why did he look so infuriated? By the look in Inuyasha's eyes Nara decided not to question the matter and it seemed best to obey Inuyasha's command. Nara took Rin's hand indicating that they should leave. The child stared at Nara for a long period of time, seemly confused with the matter but she allowed Nara to lead her out of the room.

As soon as the door was shut Inuyasha turned his eyes on Kagome. The young woman lowered her eyes to the sheets. There was a feeling of dread building up inside her. Inuyasha looked so furious that Kagome feared what he might say to her. She fisted her hands into the sheets and waited for him to say something but she heard nothing and after a few minutes of looking down at the white sheets she glanced up to see where he was. He was still by the door.

"Wench, when the hell were you planning on telling me?" Inuyasha asked in a deathly low voice. Despite the volume of his words Kagome could hear the anger in them.

Kagome gasped but kept her attention on the sheets before her. She didn't know how to answer him. Suddenly all her fears were realized. He was upset and angry with her because she was pregnant. The anger that she had seen blazing within his eyes was burned into her memory.

'He hates you… he despises you…'

Kagome shook her head and closed her eyes in an attempt to clear all the negative thoughts and fears from her mind. They didn't leave. Her mind was coming up with various situations that would occur in the room. All of them were pessimistic in that Inuyasha always ended up leaving. The college student felt a familiar burn behind her eyes and slowly brought her fingers up to her eyelids before brushing the area lightly. There was no way she was going cry now, not in front of him.

Kagome was so wrapped up in her own worries that she didn't hear the snarl come from Inuyasha. Nor did she hear when he padded across the room and came to stand next to her bed. It was only when his fingers grasped her chin and he forcefully turned her face to look at him that her thoughts came to a standstill.

Golden eyes clashed with brown ones. Never before had Kagome thought them to look so beautiful and dangerous at the same time.

"Bitch, answer my question!" Inuyasha demanded and moved his face close to hers. He was so close that the girl felt his warm breath on her cheeks. It was hard to lower her eyes now because firstly, Inuyasha already had a firm grip on her chin, which prevented her from turning away and secondly his golden eyes had already captured her full attention.

"I... I was going to. I wanted to but I was… I was scared," Kagome admitted and attempted to lower her gaze but Inuyasha's grip on her chin tightened causing her face to stay in its current position.

"What the hell for?" Inuyasha asked. His voice had risen so that he was shouting at her again.

Kagome winced at his harsh tone but decided to answer his question as soon as he asked her just incase he became even more frustrated with her.

"I thought you would hate me," Kagome mumbled and closed her eyes so that she would not have to see his reaction to her words. She once again felt the burning sensation behind her eyes and it was soon followed by her feeling moisture running down her cheeks. He said nothing after that, nor did he move. Despite her eyes being closed Kagome felt his gaze on her, evaluating her every move.

"Move over."

Kagome opened her eyes, surprise and bewilderment clear on her face. Inuyasha was looking at her with a frown and had removed his fingers from her chin.

"Keh, I said move over wench! Tell me what's so hard about that!"

She still looked at him, baffled as to why he would request such a thing but she obeyed and made room for him on the already small bed. She heard the slight squeaking of the mattress as extra weight was added to the bed and the rustle of sheets as Inuyasha came to lie next to her. She was even more stunned when Inuyasha pulled her body close to his, her cheek touching his chest. Kagome's cheeks flushed at the intimate contact. It had been a while since they had lain together like this.

"Stupid, what in the world would make you think I would hate you?" Inuyasha questioned and ran his hand gently down her back. Kagome closed her eyes at the soft touch. "What part of 'I love you' don't you understand? You had nothing to fear in the first place."

"Inuyasha," Kagome whispered and moved her arms to come around his neck. They locked gazes for a long time before Inuyasha moved his head down and planted a long kiss on her forehead. Kagome moved her face upward as his head came down once again and their lips met with a fiery passion. Kagome felt full both in mind and spirit and it seemed that all her fear were indeed pathetic. Inuyasha loved her and he wouldn't hate her over something such as this. Sango was right.

"So what are we going to do now?" Kagome asked and closed her eyes again as Inuyasha's lips found her neck before moving back up to her forehead. His body heaved with a sigh but his hands kept their soothing touch on her back, moving down to rest on her waist. His fingers were tickling the spot where it rested and it made her mind fuzzy.

"It's time we tell Nara," Inuyasha stated and looked at Kagome. She saw the sorrow in his eyes and pitied him for what he was about to do. They both were going to hurt someone they deeply cared for. Kagome frowned and buried her face in his chest once more, wishing that she could stay with him like this forever.

"She's never going to look at me the same way again," Kagome whispered and tightened her arms around Inuyasha's neck when Inuyasha's hand moved further down her body, now resting on her outer thigh.

"This is my fault. I should have told her how I felt before any of this started. Now I know I have to tell her today before things get even more out of control," Inuyasha replied and flexed his fingers where they rested on her outer thigh. The fact that he was soon going to be a parent didn't hit him fully yet. "How far off are you, Kagome?"

"Far off?" she echoed. He could tell by her tone of voice that she didn't know what he was referring to.

"How long 'til the baby comes?" he asked and focused his eyes on hers.

"The doctor said in late April. I haven't told mama yet or anyone else. Only you and Sango know," Kagome admitted once again realized the fear she felt when it came to telling her family that she was unwed and pregnant. She was afraid that they would become disappointed in her and soon enough resent her for her bad decision making.

Inuyasha pulled her body closer to his once again gaining her full attention. She looked up at him with surprised eyes.

"Just know that I'll be with you," Inuyasha reassured her with determination burning within his golden eyes. Kagome smiled and him feeling safe in his arms. It seemed that he had sensed her distress. It was good to know that he would stay with her no matter the situation. Kagome raised her head and kissed his chin.

"Thank you Inuyasha."

* * *

Nara sat outside frozen with shock. As soon as she had left the room she decided to stand at the door hoping that Inuyasha would call her back in soon. She had been puzzled at first, wondering why would Inuyasha want to talk to Kagome alone. The two were nothing but acquaintances in Nara's eyes. She also didn't understand why Inuyasha seemed to upset when he entered the room. She had stood there for sometime wondering what that had to do with Kagome.

She didn't comprehend until later when she boldly pressed her ear against the door, in hope that she would hear their conversation. She knew that it was rude to eavesdrop on others conversations but saw no harm in doing so since they two had no real relationship with each other and her curiosity had gotten the better of her. The wall was rather thin, making it easy for her to hear the people speaking on the other side.

Nara had heard them speaking but none of it really made any sense. That was until she heard Inuyasha whisper the words that she always wanted to hear from him for so long, except those words were not meant for her. It was meant for her cousin, Kagome.

He loved her. It kept echoing in Nara's head. Her body froze. She couldn't believe what she had just overheard. There was no way, no way that Inuyasha could love Kagome. They had just met each other about a month ago! They barely met! They barely spoke! Many questions were arising in her mind. She didn't understand at all and there was no way that she was going to believe this.

Nara convinced herself that she had heard wrong but then her ears picked up something that further solidified what she had heard earlier.

"_It's time we tell Nara."_

'No,' Nara thought, panic slowly entering her system. She sank to the floor, one hand resting on her chest and the other hand digging into her leg. She simply couldn't believe it. She looked down in at the floor but she saw nothing for her mind was clouded with various thoughts.

It was then she understood what Inuyasha was confused about. All the statements that had been made earlier now made perfect sense. The two people that she had trusted greatly were going behind her back. Nara shook her head, refusing to believe all that she had heard.

Her head shot up when the click of the door opening reached her ears. Inuyasha stood before her with Kagome right behind him. The two of them looked down at Nara, both of their eyes wide. Nara stared up at them suddenly feeling a great sense of betrayal. She would have cried out but Inuyasha spoke before she could say anything.

"Nara," he began looking down at her. Nara could see the great regret on his face. She was almost afraid of what he was going to say next. "We need to talk."

* * *

A/N: Wow two days after and I'm done with Chapter 22! I'm so proud of myself right now! Of course it's not as long as the last chapter but one thing gets resolved and yes, finally Inuyasha knows! I'll work on the next chapter properly over the weekend. The only reason this chapter was up so quickly was because I stayed up late to finish it also causing me to be extremely sleepy in school. Well thank you for the reviews that I've received for the last chapter. They pushed me to write even faster! Thank you again. I hope you tell me what you think of this chapter and things I could improve on in a review.

Neogirl


	23. Expose the Truth

Disclaimer: No, Inuyasha does not belong to me

Betrothed

Chapter 23- Expose the Truth

* * *

"Nara," he began looking down at her. Nara could see the great regret on his face. She was almost afraid of what he was going to say next. "We need to talk."

Nara looked up at the two people standing before her. Her mind had suddenly gone blank. Normally if she was hurt she would begin to rant and accuse both of them of hurting her but this time was different. No longer was she confused like before. She had been enlightened by the conversation that she had overheard just a couple of minutes before. She was still in disbelief in what she had heard and that fact that both Inuyasha and Kagome were involved with each other made her want to pinch her arm to make sure that this was really happening.

"Did you hear me?" Inuyasha asked and knelt down so he was at Nara's level.

Nara stared at him for a long time. As she was doing so she realized that an emotion that she hadn't felt towards Inuyasha in a while was building up inside her. He was looking at her with concerned golden eyes and a frown on his face. He was indeed worried about her now. She could tell and for some reason it disgusted her. He disgusted her. No longer did she want him near her anymore so as a reflex action she slapped his hand away when he began to reach towards her.

"Don't' touch me," Nara whispered and turned her head to the side, not wanting to look at Inuyasha. She knew that he was looking at her with bewilderment but she didn't care anymore. She closed her eyes when she felt a familiar burning behind them. She would not let any tears fall from her eyes. "How could you?" Nara asked bitterly and looked at Kagome.

Kagome blinked several times before noticing that the question was directed at her. She didn't answer the question, not seeming to understand what Nara was questioning her about. Inuyasha looked baffled as well. Nara wanted to scream out of frustration for both Inuyasha and Kagome's obliviousness to what she was speaking about.

"How long have you two been getting together behind my back? Isn't that what you want to talk to me about?" Nara asked… or more like shouted at the pair.

She saw the alarm on both Kagome and Inuyasha's eyes. She guessed they were trying to figure out how she found out about the two. The anger in her was growing, slowly replacing the hurt and betrayal that she was feeling.

"A couple of months."

Nara looked at Inuyasha in surprise. He was looking at the linoleum floor now.

"What did you say?"

"I said we've been together for a couple of months and we've known each other for almost two years now," Inuyasha admitted.

Nara stared at Inuyasha with incredulity. He wasn't looking at her, neither was Kagome. How could they? Why did they keep this from her for so long?

"Nara," Kagome began, interrupting Nara's thoughts. Nara looked at her and saw that her cousin had tears in her eyes. Nara guessed that Kagome was trying to keep them at bay but it obviously wasn't working for her. "I didn't mean… we didn't…"

"I should be the one crying, not you," Nara interrupted and glared at her cousin. "You knew about me and Inuyasha and yet you still went ahead behind my back."

"Wait… Kagome didn't know about me being engaged to you until she came home. I didn't want to tell her about you because I was afraid she would get hurt. Damn it, Nara I…"

Nara looked at Inuyasha in surprise. She saw the guilt burning in his amber orbs and the fact that he refused to look at her emphasized what he was feeling. Did he regret being with Kagome now? Was he going to apologize to her? As Nara watched Inuyasha's face she felt her anger slowly melting away. After all this time she understood what he was trying to tell her all this time.

'He doesn't love me,' Nara thought dejectedly. The feeling of hurt was once again surfacing and Nara noticed that her vision was blurring. Maybe deep down inside she knew the truth but refused to accept it. She had hoped that Inuyasha would feel the same way she had felt for so long but it was obvious he didn't. Reality was a harsh thing. She reached out her hand and touched Inuyasha's left cheek. It was cool beneath her fingers.

"Inuyasha, I love you. I love you so much," Nara began; she was sobbing now but refused to stop speaking because of it. She wanted… she needed to hear the truth. "Do you… how do you see me?"

Inuyasha sighed and closed his eyes. That caused more tears to form in her eyes. She removed her hand from his cheek and looked away from him. His actions were speaking to her. She knew what he was going to say and was fearful of what would come out of his mouth next.

Kagome who stood observing the couple clenched her hands into fists. She knew that she was the cause of all this. She felt like a vile, disgusting human being. How could she even commit such an act against her own flesh and blood and even after she knew about Inuyasha and Nara, she continued. Nara's hurt face made her feel sick to her stomach. Kagome looked away before any more unpleasant feelings came to her.

"You don't love me," Nara stated after a long stretch of silence. Inuyasha's eyes shot up to look at her. She was still looking to her side.

"You're important to me but I… I can't see you the way you see me."

That was all Nara needed to hear. The emotional pain was becoming too much for her. If she were to stay near Inuyasha anymore, she knew that it would increase. She didn't speak, nor did she look at him. Her only action was to pick herself off the floor and walk away.

* * *

The drive back to Inuyasha's place was silent. Kagome sat in the front with Inuyasha while Rin sat in the backseat, hugging and mumbling to her new toy. The child didn't understand what was occurring ever since Kagome had fainted in the amusement park. Everyone had gotten very quiet and showed a great amount of sorrow. Despite her innocence, Rin wasn't stupid. She knew that it had something to do with the three adults that she had spent time with earlier on in the day but was taught by her father that prying into people's situations was inappropriate so she remained silent.

Inuyasha focused on the road with one hand on the steering wheel, the other holding Kagome's hand. She hadn't said a word ever since Nara had left them. For the first time Inuyasha couldn't read what she was thinking for her face was blank. He guessed however that she was feeling hurt with the situation so he decided to comfort her the only way he could at the time and that was simply holding her hand.

The car remained silent until the arrived in the large country yard where Inuyasha parked Sesshoumaru's car. Rin was the first to get out, hugging her stuffed toy tight to her body. The silence ended when the child caught sight of a tall figure standing at the front door. Her scream was heard throughout the entire household as she saw her father standing only a few feet away from her.

Forgetting the stuffed toy that was in her arms, Rin dashed across to her adopted father, not caring that the toy that she had treasured so much a couple of seconds ago had fallen on the dusty ground. She opened up her arms and squeezed her father's left leg, pressing her face to his knee. Sesshoumaru looked down at the child with his common emotionless exterior before picking her up and holding her in his arms. Tears sprang to the child's eyes as she looped her arms around her father's neck.

"Daddy! I thought you were gone for the week! I still missed daddy the most!" Rin mumbled and squeezed her father's neck even tighter.

Sesshoumaru sighed softly knowing that there would be even more red marks present on his neck by the end of the day. At least his daughter seemed to be happy to see him. He began to walk into the house with Rin holding on to him for dear life but was stopped by Inuyasha.

"A thank you would be nice, bastard!" Inuyasha shouted, causing Sesshoumaru to stop his stride into the house.

"You merely watched her for three days. That's barely half of a week," Sesshoumaru replied coldly and continued walking inside, not stopping to look back at his little brother.

Inuyasha frowned at Sesshoumaru's behavior. It was one part on Sesshoumaru's personality that Inuyasha didn't like. He decided to let the matter go for the time. It made no sense to try and get a thank you out of his brother.

"She dropped her toy."

Inuyasha turned around and saw Kagome bend down and pick up the stuffed animal that had been abandoned on the ground. She stared at the stuffed toy for a long time and Inuyasha could tell that she was worried about Nara. He put her arms around her shoulder and gently pulled her towards him.

"Oi, don't worry about it. She'll be okay."

"But…"

"Stop it, Kagome. No more worrying. I don't want to pass out again," Inuyasha said, cutting her off.

Kagome frowned. She understood that he was worried about her but she couldn't help but become annoyed with him for telling her what to do and even more what to feel. How could she just stop worrying about her cousin? The girl had walked off without saying a word to them and when Kagome attempted to call her an hour later to find out where she was there was no answer. How could she help but not worry?

"I'm not a weak person, Inuyasha," Kagome said defensively and gently pushed him away from her before glaring at him, "Worrying over Nara isn't going to get me sick! I'm fine… I just don't know if Nara's okay…"

Inuyasha turned his back on her, and faced the large house before them. His shoulders rose slightly before sinking back to its previous position. He stood unmoving for sometime making Kagome wonder what was going on in his mind. She took tentative steps towards him and raised her hand to rest on his back, but before her fingers even felt the material of his shirt, Inuyasha turned around and faced her. There was obvious annoyance in his eyes. Kagome prepared herself for his angry words, knowing that when he had that expression on his face, he had little or no tolerance. What she didn't expect was for him to pick her up and hold her, bridal style. Her arms went around his neck, instinctively.

"Wench, the doctor said that stress ain't good for you!" Inuyasha said gruffly while glowering at her, "So stop worrying or I'll be the one who'll have to take care of you if you decide to faint again, so relax!"

Kagome was about to reply with a witty comment but kept quiet when she caught the fire in Inuyasha's eyes. She mumbled something about him being bossy before letting him carry her in the house. Kagome couldn't help but stare at the elegant furnishings as Inuyasha walked to his bedroom. She had only been to the house two times before and yet she was always amazed at the size of the place.

When they arrived in Inuyasha's bedroom she was dropped rather roughly on the bed. She let out a small 'ow' and raised her eyes to glare at the man who was previously holding her. He had moved away from her and was now taking a large blue shirt out of his closet. Kagome blinked several times and was about to move off the bed to stand beside him but Inuyasha's voice stopped her.

"Don't move!" he snapped without looking at her. It was almost as if he could sense her thoughts. Kagome pouted, not understanding why he was being so harsh with her.

The young woman sat up on the bed and brushed her bangs out of her face. She was still staring at Inuyasha. He had pulled off his shirt and was now only wearing a pair of denim jeans. Normally she would have looked at the way his muscles moved as he conducted his task but she was too confused to take notice this time.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome began, while looking at his back. He didn't answer her but Kagome guessed that he was listening so she continued speaking. "What… how am I going to tell mama?"

"Keh, didn't I tell you not to worry, wench!" Inuyasha replied and came over to her. He dropped the red shirt beside her on the bed and gently pulled her body towards the edge of the bed.

"But I've got to tell her soon or else things would get more complicated and my break is almost over and I have to decide if I'm going back to school or not because…"

"You're going back to school," Inuyasha said simply and began to unbutton her blue shirt. He slid the material off her shoulders and gently moved the shirt aside.

"But… I'm not sure if the dorm will let me stay there anymore," Kagome whispered and lowered her eyes.

"Then you'll just live of campus," Inuyasha said in matter-of-factly and tugged on her jeans. Kagome pulled her legs out, making it easier for Inuyasha to get them off her body. She was still staring at him. He seemed to be completely unconcerned about anything at the moment. All his attention was focused on undressing her. Wait… he was undressing her! Her mind had been so far away that she hadn't noticed and she was helping him for goodness sake!

'The hentai…'

"Inuyasha, what are you doing?" Kagome asked flatly but made no move to stop him. He was now sliding the hair tie out of her hair. Inuyasha gave her a long stare before speaking.

"I'm changing your clothes," he replied as if it were obvious and held out the shirt for her, indicating that he wanted her to put it on. Kagome complied and pulled the shirt down over her body. It was long enough to reach her knees. By the time that Kagome was putting on Inuyasha's T shirt, Inuyasha had stripped down to a pair of red boxers.

"How exactly am I going to live off campus? I don't have enough money to afford an apartment," Kagome stated, continuing the conversation from where it had left off.

Inuyasha crawled up on the bed and laid his head on her lap. His long, sliver hair spread over her knees, tickling the skin that was exposed. His hands came around her hips, in an attempt to bring her body closer to him. Kagome caressed the side of his face and watched as he closed his eyes in response to her tender touch.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to worry? I'll be with you," He mumbled. Kagome stared at him for sometime. His eyes were still closed while his arms were looped tightly around her waist. She often wondered how she ended up being so lucky to find someone like Inuyasha. She knew that he would never abandon her, so why did she feel doubt?

Her fingers ran absently through his sliver strands as many thoughts ran though her mind. She soon found herself thinking about Inuyasha and how was he affected by all this. She didn't have the time to really think about him during the long drive home. She had thought mainly about Nara and how Nara probably was feeling. Not once had her mind crossed Inuyasha.

"Hey," she began while twirling a sliver strand around her index finger. "Are you okay with all this?"

When she received no response, Kagome turned her attention to the man who was lying on her lap. As she looked at his face, she couldn't help but smile softly. He was sleeping.

* * *

Nara was blinded by her tears as she stumbled into her bedroom. She had started crying while she waited for the elevator to arrive at her floor. She was relieved that no one had seen her. It had taken a lot out of her to hold in the tears for almost a half an hour.

She crawled onto the queen sized bed and curled her body into a ball. She closed her eyes in an attempt to make herself stop crying. She had no right crying, her mind had told her so many times. She knew about Inuyasha's feelings for her yet chose to deny it. It was funny that her denial ended up getting her hurt. It was not Inuyasha's fault for not loving her the way she wanted to.

"Stupid... stupid… Nara you're so stupid," Nara mumbled and rain her fingers down the bed sheet.

She had just recently bought the bed sheets. They were come kind of fancy cotton and Nara had told herself that she would resist the temptation to eat on the bed or lay on the bed while wet, while the sheets were on. She sighed when she realized that she had broken her rules. The sheets were now wet with tears and sweat.

She opened her eyes and saw the picture of both her and Inuyasha together on her nightstand. She quickly reached out and turned the picture down. She didn't want to see Inuyasha… or Kagome. She felt betrayed by them but at the same time she felt angry with herself for not realizing both Inuyasha and Kagome's odd behavior earlier.

'That's why she was avoiding me…'

Despite her hurt, Nara knew what she had to do. There was no way she could marry Inuyasha now and obviously he didn't want to marry her. They could never really be together for it would only be an unrequited love. What kind of marriage would that be? Nara had always imagined when she and Inuyasha would get married and she always saw joy and love between them both. She was being foolish and childish for thinking so.

She pushed her body up in a sitting position before reaching for the phone on the nightstand. She dialed a familiar number before pressing the earpiece of the phone on her ear.

A/N; So that's chapter 23. Thanks once again for the reviews for the chapter from before. They encouraged me once more to write more than usual. Oh and sorry for the late update but I've been really wanting to take my time with this story now. Well if you want to leave an opinion or some kind of constructive criticism, give me a review. Until next time,

Neogirl


	24. Let It Out

Disclaimer: Inuyasha doesn't belong to me or else I'd be rich right now.

Betrothed

Chapter 24- Let It Out

* * *

Inuyasha awoke to the feeling of something tickling his neck. He opened his eyes slightly and attempted to move his body but was held down by something resting on his chest. He craned his neck to catch a glimpse of what was causing him this slight discomfort. It was Kagome.

Her head was resting on his chest while one of her hands was resting on his stomach. Her dark, raven locks were spread out on his chest, strands touching his neck. Her eyes were closed and her mouth slightly open, indicting to Inuyasha that she was in a deep slumber. The young adult mumbled incoherently and moved the hand that was on his stomach to brush the strands on her forehead.

As her body once again relaxed Inuyasha found himself smiling at her. He lifted one arm and wrapped it securely around her waist while he moved his head down slightly to deliver a kiss on her forehead. Inuyasha chuckled as she wriggled her nose when his lips had contact with her forehead before once more relaxing against him.

She was pregnant. She was going to have _his_ baby. He was going to be a parent. It still hadn't hit him fully yet. He couldn't imagine being a father. His eyes moved down to Kagome. She would definitely be a marvelous mother. From observing her Inuyasha knew her to be good with kids and the way she got Rin to warm up to her so quickly was impressive. He found himself looking down at her stomach now. There was no way that he was going to get married to Nara now. Inuyasha unquestionably would not leave his Kagome and his child alone.

'Nara…'

Inuyasha felt a stab of guilt. He wondered how she was doing ever since she found out about him and Kagome. By her reaction in the clinic the previous day he guessed that she was still torn up about it. Who wouldn't be? The girl had found out that he, her fiancé was dating Kagome who was one of Nara's closest cousins and to add to that she learned of his true feelings for her. Her love was not returned and Inuyasha knew that she was shattered by it. He felt dreadful about it. Even worse she had overheard the conversation between him and Kagome. He didn't want it to happen that way. He felt angry at himself to know that he was the cause of her pain.

Inuyasha's thoughts were cut short when he felt the weight on his chest leave him. Across from him, Kagome was rubbing her eyes while her mouth opened with a quiet yawn. Hazel eyes moved across to look at him before they filled with warmth from her smile.

"Ohayo," she greeted her voice still groggy from sleep.

Inuyasha took in the full sight of her. Her hair was disheveled, her cheeks were rosy and her lips were slightly red. She looked stunning, so much in fact that Inuyasha couldn't resist moving over to kiss her.

He pressed his lips against hers wanting to forget temporarily all the remorse that he felt when it came to Nara. And that's exactly what kissing her did. His thoughts soon only filled with the woman he was kissing. Kagome's lips remained still. It took her a while to kiss him back. Inuyasha guessed that she was surprised by his sudden affectionate gesture. His body filled with warmth as her lips caressed his and even more so when her thin arms came around his neck.

By the time the kiss ended Inuyasha was towering over Kagome's small frame, his arms propping up his body. Kagome's eyes were closed and her lips parted. It looked to Inuyasha as if she was still imagining kissing him.

"What was that for?" Kagome whispered and looked at him with surprised eyes. Despite her surprise she was smiling. She had liked that.

Inuyasha shrugged. "Nothing, I just wanted to, that's all."

Kagome's smile widened and she moved up to peck him on the lips. She watched as his lips widened as he smirked and his golden eyes glittered. She knew that look and wasn't surprised when he leaned down to kiss her chin before moving down to her neck. She closed her eyes before pushing him away slightly.

"Inuyasha, not now I'm still tired."

"Keh," he said and moved off her. He turned his head to look strait ahead of her while Kagome stared expressionlessly at the decorated ceiling. The silence in the room stretched on for a long time. Kagome was the one to break it.

"Today I'm going to tell mama and everyone else," she announced. Inuyasha moved his head to look over at her and found that Kagome's eyes were right on his. She didn't appear to be nervous neither scared. Her eyes shone with confidence. Inuyasha found it strange for on the previous night she seemed terrified of telling her family. Now she appeared unafraid.

As if she could hear his thoughts Kagome smiled at him, "You told me I don't have to worry because you'd be with me, or did you forget?"

"As if I would forget that!" Inuyasha said gruffly and gave her a small smile.

Kagome pushed her body up into a sitting position and kissed him lightly on the cheek before resting her head on his shoulder. He responded by draping his arm around her shoulder, bringing her even closer to him. There was no way he was going to loose this woman sitting next to him now. He already had a vague idea of what he was going to do concerning Kagome and school. All he needed was for Mrs. Higurashi to accept it.

* * *

Nara shivered as the cold air from the air conditioner blew on her small body. She ran her fingers lightly down one of her arms hoping that it would add some heat to her skin. It didn't work. It seemed that she was shivering even more now. She had instantly regretted her choice of clothing as soon as she felt the full blast of cold air coming from the room.

Nara had chosen a pair of kaki shorts with a short sleeved pink shirt and a pair of white slippers adorning her feet. Her shoulder length hair was loose with a pink head band to keep the loose strands of her hair from covering her blue eyes. She looked pretty, she appeared to be together but that was the farthest thing she was from at the moment.

She was still devastated from what had occurred less than twenty four hours ago. Nara had cried herself to sleep and for the first time in months she dreamed. It had taken the form of a nightmare. She dreamed of fire, blazing everywhere and only a few feet away from her she saw Inuyasha but he was disappearing, becoming farther and farther away from her. She had screamed his name repeatedly but he didn't hear her and before long she was devoured by the flames.

She let out a sigh and moved her eyes up. As soon as her eyes moved up the door of the office opened and a tall man who looked about the age of fifty entered. His eyes became warm when he caught sight of her. He moved over to her before planting a kiss on her forehead. Nara grinned and wrapped her arms around his neck tightly.

"Daddy," she mumbled into his shirt and closed her eyes.

Nara's father's eyes widened when he felt moisture seeping through his shirt. Why was she crying? He gently pulled her away from him and held her at arms length. Tears were streaming down her face. Something was obviously wrong and with her mother passed away he was the only one she had to talk to. He now understood why she called him last night.

He pushed a few stands of hair away from her face before sitting her down on the chair. He knelt before his daughter and stared at her with concern.

"What happened?" he asked gently and waited for his daughter's response. Nara was silent for sometime as if she was thinking over carefully what she was about to say.

"I… I can't… I can't marry him daddy. I can't anymore," Nara said quietly and looked down at her lap.

"Inuyasha you mean? What did he do, why can't you go through with it?" Nara's father inquired and frowned. Just last month she seemed ecstatic to marry Inuyasha. He wondered what had happened to change her mind so quickly.

"I won't marry someone who doesn't love me," Nara replied bitterly, anger once again seeping into her system. She dug her fingernails into the pale skin of her legs and glared at her lap.

"But, Nara there is a contract binding this union. You cannot just get out of it like that," her father said gently. Nara was becoming furious. The businessman part of her father was showing and it was annoying her more than anything. He didn't understand how she felt at all. Sure he was worried but Nara knew that he wasn't going to simply try and break off the contract that easily.

"Can't you find a way?" Nara asked softly but refused to look at her father.

"I don't think there will be…"

"Inuyasha doesn't love me and I don't want him to be bound to me forever. He won't be happy! Don't you understand outo-san? I refuse to go through with it!"

"Be mature about this, Nara. You're acting like a spoiled child," he began in a steady voice. Nara shook her head as more tears ran down her eyes. Her body slumped with exhaustion. Her father just wasn't getting it but there was no way that she was going give in that easily.

"I just want you to have finical stability," he admitted quietly and caressed that side of her face. Nara was sobbing now. Her body shook violently as tears dripped from her face. "Don't you understand that I love you and all I want is for you to be happy?"

"If you love me then you would not let me marry someone whose heart already belongs to someone else," Nara said coldly and moved her father's hand away from her face.

* * *

Mrs. Higurashi shook her head as she listened to Inuyasha speak. She could have sworn that she was out of her mind. She looked over at Souta whose mouth was wide and jii-chan who looked like if he was on the verge of suffering a heart attack. She shifted slightly on the chair and began to chuckle. Inuyasha by then had stopped speaking and the room was silent. The people present in the living room looked over at her, all of them seemly worried about her but she ignored it and began smiling.

Kagome and Inuyasha was sitting opposite from them on another couch while the rest of the family sat facing them on another sofa. They were all staring at her now, seemly confused.

It was amusing. For so long she had often teased Kagome about wanting grandchildren. Despite the teasing she was quite serious about wanting them but never did she think that her desire to become a grandmother would come to pass so early on. Sure she liked Inuyasha so far. He seemed like a responsible adult and even more so she was aware of his great love for Kagome. She even in some far away fantasy saw the two of them getting married but that wasn't to occur for at least three years from now.

Kagome had been the one to tell them the news. She was quick to add how many weeks she was and when the baby was due. With tears in her eyes the college student informed them of her inner turmoil about what would happen next and how Inuyasha had only just found out as well. Inuyasha then told the family of his plans. He wanted Kagome to return to school and was determined to go with her. He would apply for a job in the area and then rent an apartment with her. He wanted to be there with her. Even more he wanted to be there for her. He also informed them that he would definitely not be getting married to Nara now since she knew partly of the situation.

"Ah, I see,' Mrs. Higurashi said and smiled at the couple. She glanced at Kagome to see that her daughter was looking directly at her. Her daughter was confident this time. "That's a big step, don't you think? I mean living together."

"Big step?" Kagome's grandfather began in a loud voice. "We barely know this guy and now we find out he's fathering our Kagome's child? I think it's ridiculous!"

"Well you expect me to just drop out of…" Kagome began angrily but stopped speaking when Inuyasha rested his hand on top of hers. It was odd. He was normally the one with the short temper. Here now he was behaving so calmly.

"I understand what you mean but she cannot support herself and go to school. I will be there to take care of her… and I want to be with her," Inuyasha explained.

"That doesn't just…"

"Jii-chan!" Mrs. Higurashi said sharply, cutting him off. "Your plan sounds very reasonable and I do accept it… but do you plan on marrying my daughter anytime soon?" Mrs. Higurashi now had mischievous glint in her eyes.

"I think it's best we wait for now. I don't want to rush into things with her," Inuyasha replied honestly and squeezed Kagome's hand. Kagome smiled at him and felt a great urge to kiss him at that moment but she held back knowing it would not be appropriate to do such a thing giving the current situation. Instead she squeezed his hand in response.

Souta sat there in silence. Sure Kagome had mentioned a guy to them. She did it frequently and often said how she wanted them to meet him. Never did he expect to meet Kagome's special guy under such circumstances. It would have been amusing if he had lost every bit of insanity he had inside of him and at that moment he kind of wished that he had. The tension was almost too much to bear not to mention the different reactions that his family was having. His grandfather looked both shocked and furious simultaneously. His mother was acting strange, smiling and chuckling at the time. It seemed that only Mrs. Higurashi had lost her sanity. Souta decided not to speak for he was partly confused in the first place.

"If you happen to find an apartment for both of you to live in then I have no problem with it," Mrs. Higurashi said with a smile before moving closer to Kagome and hugging her daughter tightly. "I'm just happy that you found someone who is willing to go such lengths to take care of you. Don't ever let him go."

As Kagome looked into her mother's eyes she knew that Mrs. Higurashi was referring to Kagome's outo-san. Kagome rested her pale hand on her mother's back and closed her eyes.

"I won't mama."

* * *

A/N: This chapter is short but I saw it fit to end the chapter there. As you can tell the story is coming to a close. About three more chapters or so where everything will be cleared up for the characters in those chapters. Thank you to my wonderful reviewers for all your support so far and hopefully you would review this chapter as well and give me your opinions on this chapter and what I can improve. Well I'll update as soon as I get the opportunity to.

Neogirl


	25. Porcelain Heart

Disclaimer: The anime Inuyasha doesn't belong to me, neither do the manga nor anything dealing with Inuyasha.

A/N: This chapter is based loosely on the song Porcelain Heart by BarlowGirl. It's an amazing song!

Betrothed

Chapter 25- Porcelain Heart

* * *

It was a bleak, summer afternoon when Inuyasha decided to take Kagome once again to his family's private property. The sky was covered in a blanket of grey, dark clouds. It was a rather dark afternoon except for the tiny rays of sunlight peeking out from the spaces between the clouds.

Kagome was sitting at the water's edge, her feet wading in the clear water below her. Her head was downcast as she watched her feet move in the waters, while her hands were resting on the cool grass beneath her.

Inuyasha was observing her for some time while leaning against a tree adjacent to her and had noticed that she had yet to move from that position which caused him to assume that she was in deep thought about something. Her face was hidden by her dark hair that tumbled over her shoulders due to her head being lowered. Despite the fact that her face was being hidden from her view, Inuyasha knew what or more of whom her thoughts were focused on.

He didn't want her to worry about Nara, or anything as a matter a fact. That was why he had taken her out to this place. Inuyasha noticed how relaxed she seemed that last time she visited the place so he had hoped it would relieve the stress that she was dealing with. It seemed that it was working for she looked happy but then she had gotten quiet, causing Inuyasha to wonder.

It was only a week and a half since they had last encountered Nara. Kagome had attempted to contact Nara various times despite the fact that Inuyasha had warned her against it. They argued about it frequently, usually ending with Kagome leaving him and returning home. He had yet to tell her about the phone call that he had received from Nara's father, officially calling off the engagement, knowing that it would make Kagome worry even more about her cousin. The only thing that mattered now was that he was free to be with Kagome.

"Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha blinked several times and moved his golden eyes to look at Kagome. He hadn't even noticed that she had turned to look at him. He raised one eyebrow, indicating that he was listening to her.

"What are you thinking about?" Kagome inquired and tilted her head slightly to the side.

"Nothing important," He mumbled and turned his head to the side to look at the lake. He caught a glimpse of her frown but decided to ignore it. The last thing he wanted was to worry her.

From the corner of his eye he saw her slowly pull her legs out of the water and pull her knees up to her chest. Kagome rested her chin on her knees and closed her eyes. A gentle wind blew causing Kagome's hair to whip gently against her face. She shivered slightly when the breeze passed, which made Inuyasha want to go over to her and wrap his arms around her body. He didn't. Instead he called her name, his voice barely above a whisper and gently told her to come over to him.

Kagome's eyebrows hitched high on her forehead and her lips pulled down in a frown. She was baffled by his command but she crawled over to him despite this. Inuyasha pulled her body close to his while letting her rest comfortably on his lap. Her ear was pressed against his chest, while her two arms were wrapped around his waist. Inuyasha had rested her chin on top of her head while pulling her body closer to his.

"Why did you…"

"Keh, you were cold," Inuyasha responded, cutting Kagome's question off.

She didn't say anything after that, causing the pair to remain silent for sometime. The rustling of the leaves from the tree above them and the soft chirping of the birds were the only sounds that remained after the pair stopped speaking. Kagome was the one to break the silence between them.

"You seem worried. Is anything wrong?"

Inuyasha moved his head to look down at the woman cradled in his arms. Kagome was looking up at him; her eyes were filled with worry. That was exactly what he didn't want to happen. He cursed himself for letting his emotions show so clearly on his face and moved one hand to caress her cheek.

"I told you, it's nothing important," he said but Kagome didn't seem satisfied with his answer. She drew her eyebrows down to her eyes, her lips formed into a thin line and her light eyes blazed with anger.

"You're lying to me," she stated and glowered at him. Inuyasha tried his best not to cringe at his love's facial expression as she spoke to him. This was going to turn into an argument without a doubt if he refused to admit to her claims. Inuyasha sighed and closed his eyes. He definitely didn't want to fight with Kagome.

"If I tell you, would you stop nagging me?"

"Gladly," Kagome responded with a smile, happy that she had won. She shifted her body to face his so she could gain a better view of his face. Inuyasha sighed once more and looked at her.

"I've been meaning to tell you," Inuyasha began softly and evaded her eyes, "That the engagement between me and Nara is off."

Kagome felt both relief and guilt at the same time. She was worried first of Nara's well being. She wanted to know how her cousin was doing now that she had to break up with the person she loved most. However Kagome felt great joy in her heart. She was glad that she no longer had to worry about Nara and seeing Inuyasha with her. She was happy that their relationship no longer had to be kept a secret.

The two conflicting emotions caused her head to spin. She grasped Inuyasha's shirt as another wave of nausea hit her. She felt Inuyasha's large hand come to rest on her back. She waited for the feeling to pass before looking up at Inuyasha. The fact that he was concerned about her well being was obvious.

"You okay?" Inuyasha asked and ran circles on her back.

"I'm fine," Kagome responded with a smile. She leaned up and planted a brief kiss on his lips. Inuyasha gave her a big, stupid grin before leaning down and pressing his lips against hers. Kagome clung on to him as a familiar warmth flowed though her body. Inuyasha's hands were running down her hips and eventually rested on her outer thigh.

Kagome didn't know when her back had come to rest against the moist grass. She only became aware of it when the kiss ended. Inuyasha was towering over her, using his elbows to keep his body weight off of her. His long hair and fallen to the side of his face, causing their faces to be surrounded by a curtain of sliver strands.

He leaned down once again and captured her lips in a passionate kiss. They then fell into the next kiss, and the next, and this continued until they were both breathless. Inuyasha eyes were focused on Kagome's face. Her cheeks were flushed and her lips red and slightly swollen from the many kisses that they had shared.

Inuyasha leaned down and kissed her neck before nuzzling his nose deep in that area. She smelt so good and Kagome felt to warm. Words could not describe how he felt about her at that moment. He kissed the flesh of her neck once more and relaxed when her thin arms came around his back, drawing his body close to his.

Inuyasha would have gladly stayed like that with Kagome for a long time but the ringing of his cell phone ruined the moment. She cursed under his breath and moved off Kagome in order to retrieve the phone that was in his jeans pocket.

Kagome propped herself up on her elbows and looked at him. He had flipped the phone open but had yet to answer it. His face was blank and his lips were slightly parted. Kagome raised her eyebrows and stared at him curiously. Why would he react like that to a phone call?

"Who is it?" she asked and pulled her body into a sitting position. Inuyasha didn't move to look at her; the words came out softly from his lips, so softly in fact that it was barely audible. Kagome gasped, not sure that she was hearing right. She moved over to him and her beliefs were confirmed. On the screen was the name of the girl that they had hurt the most, the girl who suffered from unrequited love. Kagome could barely believe it. It was Nara.

* * *

Nara shifted uncomfortably on the couch. She had been waiting for Inuyasha for about an hour now. Blue eyes darted to the pink clock hanging on the wall. It was only a quarter hour to five. She had a whole fifteen minutes to think of what she had to say. Nara had decided it would be best to wait early in hopes that it would help calm her mind and slow down her rapidly beating heart. It did not such thing. She was even more nervous than before.

She rubbed her sweaty palms on her jeans shifted once more. A part of her was dreading their meeting. She hadn't spoken to him for nearly three weeks. The other part of her however anticipated their meeting up again. Despite the betrayal that she felt from him, she had missed him greatly. She had scolded herself for still having such emotions towards him but it did no good. She still loved him and it would remain that way for some time.

The musical sound of the doorbell caused the young woman to jump. Nara sucked in some air through her teeth before standing up and moving over to the door. She peeked through the peep hole and confirmed that it was Inuyasha. Trembling hands moved over and unlocked the door before moving it open.

Inuyasha stood before her, erect and still so unbelievably beautiful. He looked at her somberly causing Nara's heart rate to speed up drastically. Nara averted her eyes and cursed him for still making her feel so nervous around him. Why did he have to be so damn attractive?

"Hi," Inuyasha said his voice deep and calm.

"Good afternoon," Nara greeted formally and swallowed the lump that was forming in her throat. She moved aside, giving him an invitation to step inside. Inuyasha walked inside and followed her to the sofa. He sat on the opposite end on the chair, putting a good distance between them.

Nara frowned and pulled her feet up to rest on the couch. She looked over at Inuyasha to find him staring at the blank television. She sifted on the couch once more, uncomfortable with the long silence between them. For some reason he seemed upset with her.

"What did you call me here for?" Inuyasha asked gruffly. Nara looked at him and found that his hands were clenched into tight fists at his sides.

"We… we didn't get to really talk about this yet and I want to clear things up between us," Nara whispered and stared down at her lap. He didn't say anything, causing Nara to squirm uncomfortably in her seat.

"I didn't get to tell you that I'm sorry."

"Eh?" Nara said and raised her eyes in order to look at him. Inuyasha was staring at the pink carpet now; his hands were now digging into the flesh of his legs. His eyes were squeezed shut and his teeth were bared. It almost looked like if he was in pain.

"I said I'm sorry. I wanted to tell you about Kagome, so many times but damn it, Nara I didn't want to hurt you. I was going to sit you down that same day you found out and tell you about it and it explain it fully to you but when you found out that way... I…"

"I would have gotten hurt either way," Nara said bitterly and turned her attention away from Inuyasha. Just looking at him made her heart race and no longer did she welcome these feelings. She closed her eyes as she felt the anger once again seep into her system. "I'm still hurt. If you didn't love me then why did you continue on with this arrangement?"

Inuyasha sighed and turned to look at Nara. She was faced away from him but he sensed her anger. It was apparent in her voice. The last thing he wanted was for Nara to be upset with him. He was already mad at himself and having Nara still feel so angry towards him made him feel even lower.

"I knew that we were bound by a contract and I couldn't break it," Inuyasha said regretfully. The shaking of her shoulders indicated that she was now crying. Her face still remained turned away from his view so that he would not see her tears.

Inuyasha was tempted to move across and comfort her but he knew that it was the last thing that Nara would want from him. Instead he moved his eyes away from her and attempted to block out that soft sobs coming from the girl sitting beside him.

Nara brought her fingers up to her cheeks and wiped the trail of tears that were flowing down her face. She covered her mouth, hoping that it would stifle the crying sounds that she was making but it did no such thing. She managed to stop her crying long enough to speak again.

"So how long, were to trying to get out of this arrangement?" Nara inquired and closed her eyes so that no more tears would get out.

Inuyasha sighed again as he felt a stab of guilt. "Ever since the beginning of the summer."

"Oh, I see," Nara said in a shaky voice and finally turned around to look at Inuyasha. Their eyes met and Nara saw all the guilt and shame within them. He was truly sorry but that did nothing for the ache in her heart.

She rose up and turned her back to him. "That's all I wanted to know really. Thanks for coming."

Inuyasha was about to call out to her but stopped himself and closed his mouth. There was no way he was going to try and comfort her now. He cast her one long, suffering look before leaving the apartment.

As soon as Nara heard the click of the door, she broke down crying. She brought both hands up and covered her face while the sobs wracked her tiny frame. She dropped to her knees soon after, keeping her entire body from falling to the floor by using her hands. She stared as her tears left damp spots on the carpet. There was no way… absolutely no way she could ever speak to him again. It hurt too much. It hurt her even more to know that he was with someone else.

The young girl gasped and widened her eyes. 'Is this how Kagome felt?'

She shook her head to clear all those thoughts of her cousin. Kagome was happy now, she had Inuyasha. Kagome held his heart, something that Nara never had. She tried to convince herself that everything was good with Kagome and that Nara herself should be the one pitied. After all she was the one left behind and she was the one with the broken heart.

* * *

A/N: That's it for chapter 25. I'm sorry I took so long but I had some serious block with this chapter. The worst part was when I forced myself to write and came up with a load of rubbish. I deleted it and started over. I hoped you enjoyed the Yashie and Kaggie part with all the lovey dovey stuff! Anyway thank you to my lovely reviews who keep on supporting me no matter what. I love you guys! I'll try and update soon but the work from school just keeps piling on!

Neogirl


	26. Unfinished

Disclaimer: Inuyasha does not belong to me.

Betrothed

Chapter 26- Unfinished

* * *

September fifth had marked an entire month since Nara had last spoken with Inuyasha. It would almost be two months since she had last said a word to Kagome. Two months, two painful months had passed since she had found out and she had expected to begin to heal from the heartbreak but that didn't happen. The thought of Inuyasha and Kagome being together seemed to cause even more pain as the days went by. It almost seemed as if she had left something undone.

Maybe it hurt more for Nara had found out from Kagome's mother that the couple was living together now. Kagome going to her usual college classes while Inuyasha was taking a few courses in medicine. He was going to start his first year in residency. Kagome's mother however, did not mention the fact that Kagome was pregnant. This ignorance on Nara's part made the young woman come up with various conclusions about why the two might be living together.

At first she thought that maybe she might have heard wrong. According to Inuyasha the two had been seeing each other for a couple of months and only knew each other for about two years. It was way too early for such a thing. Secondly she assumed that Kagome had transferred to another school and Inuyasha had followed but those suspicions were crushed after Mrs. Higurashi explained everything. It was only then that Nara came up with her final conclusion. It was that they were planning this little living together before Nara had even known about them. She assumed that they were only waiting to be free from Inuyasha's bounds of marriage before they decided to move in together.

Of course the idea seemed ludicrous and even more childish but Nara couldn't help but think it and every time that thought penetrated her mind, her bitterness and anger towards the two would return. Sure she tried her best not to think about it but then again the thoughts would come up at the most inappropriate times leaving her sour.

"Sensei, how do you like my painting?"

Nara snapped out of her long line of thoughts and stared at the child who was looking at her. He was holding a paper with blue and green squiggles on it, the paper was still wet and dripping with paint. His dark eyes glowed as he waited for a response from his teacher.

Nara moved over to the eager five year old and knelt next to him while resting one hand on his head. Her beamed up at her, obviously expecting a compliment.

"It's very nice, Ken-kun."

The child chuckled, seemly pleased with what his teacher said before turning around and splashing more paint on to the paper. Nara looked at the small child and smiled. It would be best to keep her mind off them. The less she thought about _them_, the better.

* * *

Kagome sighed when the voicemail of the person she was calling came on. She flipped the phone shut and stared at the small communicative device held between her fingers. She waited a few minutes before dialing the number again. She ended up with the same results.

"Keh, didn't I tell you to leave her alone?"

Kagome's head shot up and turned to her side to stare at Inuyasha. He was sprawled on the sofa across the room with a big text book held on his lap. He was wearing a white T shit with a pair of blue jeans.

Kagome pouted at Inuyasha and moved over to where he was seated. She sat herself down on the armrest of the chair and looked over at him. He was focused completely on his studying. He acknowledged her presence by glancing up briefly at her.

"It's been two months since I've spoken to her Inuyasha. How much time do you want me to give her?" Kagome inquired.

He rested his book down and spread one arm open, indicating that he wanted her to come to him. Kagome accepted the invitation and nestled herself in his arms. He wrapped his arms around her back, bringing her body as close as humanly possible to his.

"When's she's ready, she'll call you. Maybe if you stop being so damn stubborn and listen to me then she'll call you," Inuyasha said gruffly and squeezed her even tighter.

"Hey!" Kagome said with a laugh and hit his chest lightly with her fist. Inuyasha responded by lightly kissing her neck and smiling up at her.

Both Inuyasha and Kagome were still adjusting to living with each other. Naturally the first two weeks were filled with silly arguments but after almost month of living in such close quarters together the pair learned to tolerate each of their not so pleasing habits. Kagome had found it quite pleasant living with Inuyasha. She loved the fact that they could spend every waking moment together and she was beginning to enjoy his company even more than she did before.

The ringing of Kagome's cell phone cut of Kagome's string of thoughts. She shifted on Inuyasha's chest so that it would be easier to talk on the phone. Without looking at the call id, she flipped the phone open and spoke into the mouthpiece.

"Oh, Hojo-kun!" Kagome said after a long period of silence. She looked over at Inuyasha and found him frowning over at her. His golden eyes stared at her intently, seemingly waiting for Kagome to hang up the phone on Hojo. Kagome put her fingers to her lips in an attempt to keep Inuyasha quiet.

"I just called you to let you know that I'm settled into my apartment and I was wondering if you would like to come over. I could pick you up."

Kagome cursed herself for forgetting about Hojo's job transfer, which happened to be near her school. She tired to think up of a suitable excuse to get out of his offer but none came to her.

"Oh, well… um you see… I have to study and…"

"You suck at lying, Kagome," Inuyasha mumbled and glowered at her. Without a warning Inuyasha snatched the phone out of Kagome's hand and pressed it to his ear. "Don't call this number anymore, Hobo!"

He flipped the phone shut soon after, not even giving Hojo a chance to respond to Inuyasha's command. When his eyes met Kagome's he found them blazing with fury. She frowned at him before snatching the phone from his grasp.

"Inuyasha! I can't believe you!

"That _friend_ of yours needs to stop calling you. That bastard wants something more than a friendship with you and you do nothing to stop him!" Inuyasha retorted and gave Kagome an equally angry look.

Kagome averted her eyes from his and looked at the cream colored wall. So Kagome would admit that Inuyasha was right, but only up to an extent. It was obvious that Hojo still had romantic feelings towards her. Heck, he even admitted it himself but despite that Hojo was somewhat of a friend to her and what right did Inuyasha have to tell him not to call her anymore? Inuyasha had let his jealously rule his actions when it came to Hojo… he always did.

Anger seeped right back into Kagome's system, causing her to once again glare at Inuyasha. He glowered right back at her and raised one dark eyebrow on his forehead.

"Inuyasha, Hojo means nothing to me. He is only a friend. There is no need for you to be jealous of him. You can trust me," Kagome explained calmly. Her eyebrows relaxed and her lips curved into a small smile.

Inuyasha's hands slid back around Kagome's waist while one hand came behind her head. He pulled her face so close to his that their noses bumped against each other. Kagome's face flushed at the close contact.

"I don't _need_ to be jealous of him and I trust you, Kagome. I just don't trust Hobo," Inuyasha whispered. His warm breath was puffing against her cheeks, and his golden eyes stared intensely into her brown ones. She would normally correct him when he pronounced Hojo's name incorrectly. When she opened her mouth however, nothing came out.

Kagome was left speechless. Inuyasha smirked smugly, happy that he still had that effect on her. Normally when they argued Kagome always had a witty comeback. Inuyasha guessed that she always thought over what she was going to say to him carefully. The thought amused him.

He pulled her face down further, causing her lips to crash on top of his. Kagome immediately relaxed into the kiss, forgetting their pending argument. Inuyasha's lips gently caressed Kagome's causing all of Kagome's coherent thoughts to dissipate.

The kiss ended a little while after, both of them were panting due to the lack of oxygen in their systems. Kagome didn't miss the smug gleam in Inuyasha's eyes and inwardly cursed herself for still acting like a complete idiot when they came into such close proximity. Inuyasha looked at her for sometime before removing his hand from around her waist and the other from on top of her head.

He frowned at her then but Kagome caught the playful gleam in his eyes.

"Okay, now get off me, wench. I got to study!"

* * *

Nara stopped laughing at another teacher's joke when her phone rang. She studied the device for sometime and stared at the caller id. It was once again Kagome. She slipped the phone back into her purse and waited for it to stop ringing.

"Why don't you answer the phone?"

Nara removed her attention from her blue purse to look at her co-worker, Hana. She was looking at Nara with curious dark eyes. Nara shook her head slightly and managed a slight smile despite the turmoil that she was experiencing deep within her.

"I don't want to speak to that person," Nara admitted softly as the smile slid off her face.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Hana asked.

Nara stared at Hana, evaluating whether or not she should let her co-worker deep into her personal life. It was after all a very embarrassing situation for Nara. She had spoken with many of her fellow workers about Inuyasha and had promised that she would one day bring him around so he could meet everyone at work. She imagined how pitiful she would be viewed as if they had found out that he had left her for another woman, due to the fact that he held no romantic love towards Nara.

Then again, Hana was one of her best friends at work. They had formed a friendship almost as soon as Nara had begun working at the kindergarten. Of course it was easily formed due to the fact that Hana was only two years Nara's senior. Hana was trustworthy, wasn't she? There was nothing wrong with sharing some of her pain with someone whom she trusted.

"It's Inuyasha's girlfriend who's calling," Nara explained and stared at her hands that were fisted on her lap. She squeezed her eyes shut to prevent tears from coming out of them. "She's a close relative of mine."

"Seriously?" Hana asked incredulity and stared at Nara with wide eyes. She rested her hand on Nara's shoulder, providing a little comfort. "What happened that caused this?"

"The truth is, he never asked me to marry him. Our parents arranged it when Inuyasha and I were very young. I grew up, knowing that I was to be his bride and knowing that I eventually fell in love with him but… but he… he didn't love me. He never did!"

The tears were forcing their way out of her tightly shut eyelids. Hana's hand was now resting on her lower back, rubbing it in a soothing manner, encouraging Nara to continue on. Nara refused to open her eyes for chances were that Hana was giving her that pitiful look that she didn't want to be given. She continued on, finding it now difficult to stop.

"He fell in love with my cousin, Kagome while attending college with her and he decided it best that he end our engagement but… but he couldn't cause of some stupid contract! He kept going with Kagome and at the clinic I overheard them talking. He was going to tell me about Kagome that day! He preferred to be with her than to stay with me, the one who was chosen for him, by his parents! I don't understand… how could I love him so much and he only sees me as a sister! I love him so much… so much, that it drives me crazy! Why can't he see that?"

Nara broke down crying soon after she finished pouring out how she felt. She brought her hands to wipe away the trails of water running down her cheeks. She didn't want to be seen crying, but no matter how many times she wiped the tears away, they kept coming.

"Your cousin… have you spoken to her ever since you've found out?" Hana asked softly.

"Iie, I don't want to. I want her to just leave me alone, for now," Nara said and sniffed. She had given up on wiping away the tears from her eyes. They were now flowing freely down her face.

"But, don't you think you should try and talk to her. I mean she's been calling you so much. Maybe she wants to apologize or something."

"If she does I'm not going to accept it," Nara replied honestly and looked at Hana with a frown. Why was Hana taking Kagome's side?

Kagome was the one who had ruined all chances of her being happy with Inuyasha. Kagome was the one who had ripped him away from her side and had taken him away with her to college. Why should she listen to the person who knew about how deeply she loved Inuyasha, yet continued her relationship with him?

"Don't you think you're being childish, Nara? I mean at least your cousin is trying to make an effort to clear things up with you. Don't you want to clear things up with her and move on?" Hana inquired.

Nara gasped and looked up from her lap. Hana was giving her a hard look, yet at the same time, Nara felt comforted. The young woman stared at her friend, as realization soon hit here. Maybe Hana was right up to an extent. Nara did feel like if something was left unfinished, even after she spoke with Inuyasha. Maybe it was Kagome that she really needed to speak with.

Nara's phone rang once again. She hesitantly reached for her purse and took the small device out of her bag. The caller id indicated that it was once again Kagome, trying to get a hold of her. Nara looked at Hana helplessly and was given the strength that was needed when her friend smiled. With a sigh Nara answered the phone.

* * *

A/N: This was the absolute worst block that I've ever had in my entire time in writing any story. I mean after I finished writing chapter 25 I had a complete mental block. I didn't know what to put in this chapter at all. I took all the tips when you have writers block and it failed to work this time. I eventually had to force myself to write and I re wrote this chapter two other times before I got it. I am satisfied with this chapter, but I do not like it as much as my others. I hope you guys like it though and I hope you review to tell me what I can fix, etc. The story is most definitely coming to a close now. I hope to update before Christmas but if that doesn't happen I would like to wish all my readers **A Merry Christmas! **

_**Ken-**__ One's own self_

_**Hana-**__ blossom; flower, graceful, merciful _

Neogirl


	27. Moving On

Disclaimer: No is infringement of copyright laws is indented in this Inuyasha fan fiction. I'm just borrowing these characters to use them to my delight!

Betrothed

Chapter 27- Moving On

* * *

Kagome opened the door to her apartment while laughing. Sango was telling her about her father's reaction when it came to meeting Miroku earlier in the summer. Sango had failed to inform Miroku that her father normally treated all guys that Sango brought home harshly, whether it was one of Sango's friends or if she were romantically involved with that person. 

It was obvious that Sango was already staring to miss Miroku greatly. Her friend would talk about Miroku in almost every conversation they had together and sometimes Kagome caught Sango staring oddly at the background for her cell phone, which happened to be a picture of Sango and Miroku together. Kagome almost felt guiltily for she saw Inuyasha everyday while Sango had to wait until winter break to see Miroku.

The college student's laughter died down however when she saw Nara sitting on the couch in the living room. Kagome immediately stopped in her tracks and stared open mouthed at the thin figure sitting stiffly on the sofa.

She was wearing a bright, yellow mini dress with a pair of white slippers. Her shoulder length dark hair was pulled back into a high ponytail, while a few strands were left in front of her face. Nara was the last person that Kagome had expected to see after arriving home.

After calling her cousin so many times, it seemed that Nara had finally given into the numerous calls and answered her phone. Her cousin had agreed to speak with her. Kagome had suggested that she would visit Nara during the weekend so they could talk but Nara insisted that she would make the trip up to Kagome's apartment so they could talk. She was expecting Nara Saturday. The last time Kagome checked, it was Thursday.

Nara stood up and looked at Kagome. Her normally glittering blue eyes, stared coldly at Kagome. Despite this, Kagome received a sad smile from Nara. Kagome closed her mouth but didn't try to hide her surprise.

"Nara… what are you…"

"I hope it's okay," Nara began and shifted uncomfortably as the two women at the door stared at her. "I know I'm early but I got a day off today so I thought I would come here and you told me where you kept the key so I let myself in."

Kagome remained silent for sometime, not knowing exactly what to say to the cousin in which she hadn't had contact with in so long. A wave of dizziness hit her for a moment, causing her to rest her hand on her forehead and let out a soft moan. Sango gripped Kagome's shoulders, successfully steadying Kagome and looked at her with concern.

"Kagome-chan, are you okay? Do you want me to stay here with you?" Sango inquired softly and glanced briefly at Nara. Nara had clasped both of her hands in front of her stomach and was looking at the pair nervously.

Kagome shook her head, causing her raven locks to slap against her cheeks. She smiled warmly at Sango, hoping that it would indicate how grateful she felt towards her friend for wanting to be there for her.

"I'll be fine Sango-chan. I just need to talk to her alone," Kagome whispered back and attempted to maintain a good posture despite how she was feeling inside. Nerves were slowly making her knees weak. Of course guilt was present there as well, tormenting her very soul. Kagome however, refused to let those emotions take a hold of her. She was the one who called Nara. She was the one who wanted to talk to her and there way no way that she was going to fail this time.

Sango gave Kagome a slight nod, though she seemed to still be uncertain to whether or not she should leave her friend. Sango's dark eyes moved over to look at Nara and gave the young woman a small smile. Sango hoped that things would work out well for the two relatives. She had watched Kagome suffer immensely from the whole ordeal. All Sango wanted was for things to be cleared up between Kagome and Nara so they could eventually move forward.

The door closed soon after indicating that Sango had left the apartment. Kagome remained at the door, seemingly afraid to move from her current position. Nara on the other hand appeared to be uncertain for her eyes moved uncomfortably around the space that they were in.

"Um… do you want to sit?" Kagome asked awkwardly, breaking the silence in the room. Unfortunately that did nothing to break the great tension between the two women.

Nara lowered herself on to the plush chair once again and folded her tiny hands on her lap. Her blue eyes focused on her cousin who was slipping her dark brown jacket off her shoulders.

Kagome appeared to be well according to Nara's evaluation of her. Her eyes had regained the glow that they had lost only a couple of months ago. Nara guessed that it was due to the fact that Kagome was finally able to be with Inuyasha freely. Her hair was loose, flowing midway down her back except for a white head band which was being used to move her bangs out of her eyes. Kagome seemed almost the same in appearance expect for probably her weight. It seemed that her cousin had gained a few pounds since their last meeting. Nara immediately felt a wave of guilt for thinking such thoughts.

When their eyes met Nara instantaneously whipped her head around to look at the cream colored walls surrounding them. Nara stifled a sigh and dug her blunt fingernails into the pale skin of her legs.

It was funny that only two months ago they were so close to each other.

'Iie, I thought we were close. She was lying to me the entire time,' Nara thought bitterly. She shook her head slightly and remained in a poised position, waiting for Kagome to once again say something to her.

The ticking of a clock that hung on the way was the only sound present in the living room. Kagome's shuffling had ceased and all sounds of movement had stopped. Nara sucked in some air through her teeth and waited even longer. By now she had expected Kagome to say a word to her but after almost ten minutes of silence Nara had turned her head away from the walls, curious to what her cousin may be doing.

Kagome was sitting on the far end of the couch. Oddly enough Nara hadn't felt the weight of the chair shift when Kagome had taken her seat. Nara blinked several times and stared at her cousin. Kagome was looking strait ahead of her with an unreadable expression on her face. Nara wanted to speak but something held her back.

"Nara," Kagome began in a monotone voice, "I'm pregnant."

"Eh?"

Nara stared at her cousin with surprise. Kagome squeezed her eyes shut and bit her lower lip to stop it from trembling.

"I'm telling you this because you are one of my closest friends," Kagome stated and looked over at Nara seriously.

Kagome stared at Nara, waiting for some reaction to what she had just confessed. Kagome's cousin simply looked at her blankly for a moment before violently shaking her head. Her expressionless eyes blazed with fury and her cheeks reddened in a second.

"If you were my friend first off, you wouldn't have lied to me. I can't believe I came to you for advice when it came to Inuyasha when you were the one causing our problems! I don't even know why you're bothering to try and talk to me! You've got Inuyasha, you're happy…"

Nara stopped speaking when her voice started to quiver. She brought her hand to over her lips and glared at her cousin, tears forming behind her eyes. There was no way that Nara could forgive Kagome.

"I could never forgive someone who has forever ruined my happiness," Nara whispered and shot flaming arrows at Kagome with her eyes. Nara broke down crying. She had found that all she had done for the past two months was cry. It offered no therapy for her in this situation. Crying made the pain grow, it made her bitterness thrive and it nurtured her loneliness.

"Are you certain that you would have been truly happy with Inuyasha?"

Nara gasped and raised her head to look at Kagome. The college student still held a serious expression on her face however her eyes were glassy, giving away her inner despair. Nara felt pity for her cousin but the emotion was fleeting and left almost as quickly as it came.

"Just being with him, makes me happy. Of course I would have been happy," Nara replied uncertainly.

She averted her eyes from Kagome as the realization hit her that her cousin was right. She knew that even if Kagome never existed, Inuyasha still wouldn't love her. She had never received that look of longing that she had often seen couples give each other from Inuyasha. Sure his face was warm towards her, but it went no further than that. She knew he didn't love her, maybe from even the very beginning but she refused to admit it. She had hoped that one day his love would grow for her and they would live happily together. What a childish fantasy that was.

'What a fool I've been,' Nara thought and looked down at her hands which were folded on her lap. Tears dripped down from her face and landed on her bare legs.

"Kag-chan," Nara began in a small voice, surprising her cousin. That last thing that Kagome had expected was for Nara to address her so casually after all that had happened. "Why did you move in with Inuyasha?"

Nara heard Kagome's sigh and waited for a response. She kept her attention focused on her lap, finding it easier to deal with her various emotions that way. She needed to get all those silly ideas of why the couple decided to share such close quarters together out of her head. She needed the truth.

"It's because I'm pregnant, with his baby."

A sharp pain emerged at Nara's chest but Nara decided it best to keep her tears from running out of her eyes this time. She had done enough crying. Crying didn't change anything and it wasn't going to change anything.

"Oh," Nara said. She was finding it difficult to compress all this information. "Gomen nasi."

Kagome blinked and looked over at her cousin. Nara was looking at her once again. Instead of the cold expression that Kagome had expected to receive from her cousin, Nara's blue eyes were glowing with sincerity. Kagome couldn't help but smile. Finally, it seemed that they were moving forward with each other.

"What are you sorry for?" Kagome asked, bewildered but she still held the smile on her face.

"For blaming you for my self doubt," Nara said and replied with a smile. Despite her attempts, tears slid down her face. She guessed by now that her eyes were red from all the crying that she had done in such a short period of time.

The heartache was still there and Nara knew for a fact that it wasn't going anywhere anytime soon but one thing was certain, she would finally be able to move on. The fact that Inuyasha didn't love her felt like if someone had ripped her heart out and stomped on it until it had stopped beating and it made Nara sick to her stomach.

"I should be the one saying sorry," Kagome admitted and lowered her head. "I should have told you from the beginning but I was scared, that you would get hurt."

"Yeah, you should have. I would have gotten hurt either way. The longer you waited, the worse it got and maybe you did wait to long but I'm grateful that I found out before things got out of hand," Nara said and smiled sadly at her cousin. Kagome nodded at her and they remained quiet for a short time, each thinking over the conversation that they had shared carefully.

Nara was the one to break the silence. "I... don't know if I will be able to forgive you, yet but… for sure I would someday."

* * *

Inuyasha came home to the sight of Kagome on the couch, starring at the blank television. Oddly enough she had a smile planted on her face. She didn't react to his presence in the room. Normally she would throw herself at him, like a child seeing his or her father when he got home. This made Inuyasha raise one eyebrow. He dropped his jacket on the ground and moved over to where she was sitting. 

"Oi, wench!" Inuyasha said and waved his hand in front of her face. Kagome snapped out of her trance and looked at him.

"When are you going to stop calling me that?" Kagome inquired and frowned at him.

"For a moment I thought you had lost it. How long have you been sitting here?" Inuyasha inquired and knelt before her.

Kagome rested her index finger on her chin and moved her eyes to the heavens as she tried to recall at exactly what time she had seated herself on the couch. Her eyes moved over to stare at the oval clock hanging on the cream colored walls. The time was exactly six pm. That meant she had been sitting in the same spot, pondering various things for over an hour.

Her stomach gave a loud grumble, alerting both Inuyasha and Kagome. She had last consumed something at lunch with Sango before she had arrived home. That was almost six hours from then. No wonder she was so hungry!

Kagome moved her attention back to Inuyasha. He was pouting at her, with one eyebrow raised on his forehead. There was no way she going to tell him that she hadn't eaten in almost six hours. Inuyasha would definitely scold her in a not too pleasant manner. Kagome was definitely not in the mood to listen him yell at her again. He was without a doubt suspicious.

"When was the last time you ate?" Inuyasha asked and rested his hands on either side of her legs.

"Um… not too long…" Kagome said and averted her eyes from his. They light from the slowly setting sun caused his eyes to let out a light glow. His golden orbs almost took her breath away.

"Didn't I tell you, that you suck at lying, Kagome?" Inuyasha stated and gripped her chin, forcing her to look into his eyes. She hated when he did that, especially when she didn't want him to see how her face looked.

"Well, I'll make some to eat now, Yashie," Kagome said, annoyed that had once again forced her to look at him.

"Keh," Inuyasha said and moved away from her. "I'll do it. You're probably tired from what happened today anyway!"

Kagome titled her head to the side, wondering what his last statement meant. Inuyasha was already making his away across to the kitchen and fast pace. The college student remained on the couch as she thought up of what exactly Inuyasha was talking about. When the idea hit her, Kagome shot off the sofa and padded her way across to the kitchen.

Inuyasha was standing in front of the tiny fridge, seemly debating on what he could make for his pregnant girlfriend. Kagome knew if he had it his way, he would make ramen for them both. He moved his attention away from the fridge and looked at her curiously.

"What?"

"What did you mean when you said that I was probably tired from today?" Kagome inquired and looked at Inuyasha suspiciously.

"Sango, told me that you spoke with Nara today," Inuyasha said calmly and returned his attention back to the open fridge. "How did it go?"

He might as well have been talking about the whether! He showed no surprise when he came to their meeting. Moreover she showed no interest in it whatsoever.

"It was fine," Kagome answered in a low voice and walked over to stand next to him.

"I thought you, since you were smiling at the wall like an idiot," Inuyasha commented and smirked at her. Kagome punched him lightly on the arm and leaned her head below his shoulder.

"I'm just happy that everything seems to have worked out well," Kagome whispered and closed her eyes. Being so close to Inuyasha still sent shivers down her spine and turned her mind into mush but she didn't mind it. He filled her body with warmth, something that no one else had been able to accomplish.

"Didn't I tell you not to worry, wench," he said and slid his arm around her waist. She grinned, while still keeping her eyes closed.

"Yeah, you did."

* * *

A/N: Yay! I actually updated before Christmas. There's only one more chapter left for this story and then it's the epilogue. Sigh, so sad that it's ending but I'm still happy because I'll be getting to start a new story! Anyway now that everything's cleared up the last chappie won't be all tense like the others! I'm ready for some lighter stuff! So I hope you guys tell me what you think of this chapter and I will update before New Years, so no need to worry! Until the next update, 

**Merry Christmas** (for real now!)

Neogirl


	28. Together We Will

Disclaimer: Inuyasha does not belong to me.

Betrothed

Chapter 28- Together We Will

* * *

Kagome groaned and opened her eyes. The darkness of the room indicated that it was still late at night. She shifted her head to glance at the digital clock on the nightstand and found that it was only two thirty in the morning. That meant that she had gotten a mere three hours of sleep. She sighed in the darkness and moved her hand down to touch her swollen stomach, but instead of feeling the silky material of her nightgown, Kagome felt hair beneath her fingers.

She raised her body slightly to look down at her stomach and found Inuyasha resting there. He had moved up her shirt slightly so that her stomach was bare, causing his sliver hair to tickle the exposed skin. His eyes were closed, indicating that he was asleep and one hand was resting at her side while the other was resting further up her stomach.

Kagome smiled and gently ran her fingers through his silky tresses. She allowed her hand to travel down to caress his face and ran her fingers lightly over his lips. It had almost become a habit for him to rest on her stomach now. Kagome had woken up a couple of times to find him whispering to the little life growing within her. The thought always made her smile.

Kagome was now in her seventh month and physically things were becoming more difficult for her. Her rapid weight gain and the enlargement of her abdomen wasn't the only change that Kagome had found difficult to deal with. She soon found out, that the larger her stomach got, the harder simple tasks became such as walking to class. Her ankles burned with pain by the time she would arrive and not only that. Her late arrival was becoming even more frequent. Inuyasha had suggested that she take a break off classes due to her condition but Kagome protested reminding Inuyasha that it was her senior year so missing a class would cause her to become behind. Bending over to pick things off the floor was another task that Kagome found challenging as well.

Sleep however was becoming something that Kagome found the most difficult to accomplish. Kagome couldn't even remember the last time that she had slept on her stomach, or the last time that Inuyasha could have curled her up in his arms. Her stomach was simply too big to allow that. The positions she had slept in left her uncomfortable, leaving her tired and irritable in the morning. Inuyasha seemed to understand and normally didn't tease her on the mornings.

She moved her eyes away from the man sleeping on top of her tummy to look outside the window. The snow was falling lightly outside on the chilly February morning and the full moon illuminated the sky. She rested her hand on a part of her stomach that Inuyasha wasn't resting on.

"Only two more months 'til I see you, little one," Kagome whispered and ran her thumb lightly over her stomach. "I can't wait to hold you. I'm sure your father can't wait either."

The baby kicked in Kagome's stomach. It was almost as if the child knew that it was being spoken to. The movement caused Inuyasha to shift on Kagome's stomach. She assumed that he would fall into sleep once more but he cracked his eyes open and slowly raised himself off her. He was towering over her, his hands on either side of her body.

"Kagome?"

His golden eyes were gleaming in the darkness of the room. Kagome focused her attention on Inuyasha. He looked concerned.

"What are you doing awake?" he inquired and brushed some hair out of her face. The affectionate gesture made Kagome feel even more tender towards him. She beamed up at the man leaning over her and brushed her fingers lightly over his cheek.

"I was just thinking," Kagome said softly.

"Well thinking ain't going to make you sleep!"

He moved away from her after he said that and sat at the edge of the bed. Kagome rolled over to her side and found herself staring at his bare back. He had pulled his hair in front of him, leaving Kagome a view of his entire back.

"Inuyasha…"

"Get some sleep Kagome," Inuyasha said quickly, cutting Kagome off. She nodded her head even though she knew that he couldn't see her.

She stole one last peek and Inuyasha before closing her eyes. Sleep seemed to be next to impossible for her now. Her feet felt restless and her head was filled with so many thoughts that sleep was the last thing that she wanted. She knew that Inuyasha was only concerned for her but because of their busy schedules they had barely had time to talk and she missed him. Kagome cracked one eye open and found Inuyasha in the same position. What exactly was he thinking about?

"Inuyasha?"

He turned around to look at her with surprised eyes.

"I thought you were sleeping, Kagome," Inuyasha said and continued to look at her.

Kagome pushed herself into a sitting position and slowly crawled over to where Inuyasha was. She knelt behind him and rested her hands on his bare shoulders. She leaned her forehead against his back and closed her eyes. She guessed that Inuyasha was looking at her with that wide eyed look when she normally did something unexpected.

"What's wrong?" Kagome asked softly. Kagome felt his shoulders slump and his body lean forward just a little.

"I dreamed of my mother just now, that's all," he explained and attempted to brush the topic off lightly. Despite the fact that Kagome couldn't see him, she knew his face held a sorrowful expression. By the looks of it, Kagome knew that he didn't want to speak about the dream with his mother. She had noticed that he had a hard time in general talking about his mother with her. Kagome decided it best that she leave the topic alone.

Kagome removed her hands from his shoulders and lifted her head off his back. He barely acknowledged her movement causing Kagome's worry for him to intensify. She shook her head lightly and reminded herself that Inuyasha would become angry with her if she were to become worried, especially if it was over him.

Kagome reached out and gripped one of his hands before tugging on it lightly. He turned around to look at her, surprise showing on his face. Kagome simply lowered her head and spoke softly to him.

"Come lie down next to me, onegai. I sleep better when you're there."

She refused to look at him, almost afraid of what his reaction might be to her request. She did, however hold firmly on to his hand. When his hand encircled hers, Kagome felt an odd, but welcoming warmth surround her entire body. She looked up at him briefly and found him looking down at her with one of his rare smiles.

"You sound like a kid, Kaggie? What am I, your little teddy bear?" Inuyasha teased and bumped noses with her.

After about five minutes of shifting positions the couple eventually ended up with Kagome's back spooned against Inuyasha while his large arm was draped over her stomach. Kagome sighed contentedly and closed her eyes. She couldn't even remember the last time that they had slept in such a close position. Sure, he had lain on her stomach but the position wasn't always too comfortable for Kagome since he was rather heavy.

The room remained quiet after Kagome's sigh allowing Inuyasha to assume that she was finally asleep. He had watched her over the past couple of weeks and found that she wasn't getting enough sleep. It was bad not only for the baby but for her as well. He was worried that both the stress of being pregnant and the stress from her upcoming exams would negatively affect her health. By the looks of things, Kagome seemed to be balancing the two well.

"Inuyasha?"

"Wench, I thought I told you to go and sleep!" Inuyasha said and pulled her body closer to his.

"Gomen, I was just thinking that Kisho would be a nice name for a boy," Kagome stated. He knew by the sound of her voice that she was smiling.

Inuyasha buried his nose in her hair and inhaled, taking in the flowery scent of the shampoo that she used. "Yeah, it is nice," Inuyasha paused before speaking again. "Now get to sleep will you, you're tired and I ain't going to be your alarm clock in the morning."

Kagome giggled before yawning softly. "Kay."

* * *

Sango watched from across the table as Kagome's head fell backwards and thumped lightly against the wall behind her. This seemed to bring Kagome back to her senses for she cleared her throat and sat up in an erect position. The position however didn't last any longer than five minutes. Kagome head was leaning backwards once more.

"Kagome-chan?"

Kagome jumped and once again straightened her body. She blinked her eyes several times before focusing them on Sango.

"No sleep again tonight, huh?"

"Iie," Kagome admitted and leaned back heavily on her chair. She idly ran her fingers over her large stomach before speaking again. "I've had too much on my mind to sleep."

"You're not worried about anything, are you?" Sango inquired and rested her elbows on the table before her. Kagome sighed and shook her head slowly.

"I can't worry, because Inuyasha won't let me," Kagome joked with a smile.

It was nearing late afternoon and the two were sitting in a fast food restaurant together. Sango had met Kagome right after Kagome had finished her last class for the day. Kagome had insisted that Sango be on her way home but Sango refused. It was Friday afternoon and by what Kagome had known, Miroku was coming over for the weekend. Sango seemed generally excited for his arrival even though she did try to conceal it.

Sango remained silent for sometime. Kagome felt Sango's gaze on her and knew that Sango was giving her that analytical look. She always gave Kagome that expression when Sango guessed that something was wrong. Kagome had informed her friend that she was fine. Wasn't that enough for Sango to leave her be?

Kagome sighed and stuck the last fry in her mouth. Sango had finished eating a while now and she had been staring at Kagome for several minutes, causing Kagome to feel uncomfortable. She shifted awkwardly in her chair before slowly raising her eyes from the table to stare at Sango. Without even thinking about a proper reason why, Kagome felt herself becoming annoyed with her closet friend.

"I'm ready to go home now," Kagome said curtly and got on her feet soon after the statement was said.

"Okay, I'll walk you," Sango said and got up to follow Kagome who was already making her out of the building.

Kagome whirled around and glared at Sango. "Why are you following me everywhere, Sango-chan? I am capable of making it home on my own."

"It's just that… uh…"

"Inuyasha put you up to it, didn't he?" Kagome inquired and raised one eyebrow.

When Sango's pink lips curved into a smile, Kagome knew that her suspicions were correct. She blew a raspberry and massaged her forehead. Inuyasha's belief that she was incapable to do anything for herself in her current condition was beginning to seriously get on her nerves. An image of her latching on to Inuyasha's neck and shaking him continuously came into Kagome's mind. Normally she would dismiss such violent images but this time she found the idea quite appealing.

"I'm pregnant Sango, not sick, and I'm not dying either," Kagome explained in a calm voice.

'Why can't Inuyasha understand that?' Kagome thought and continued to rub her temples in circular motions.

"If you want to walk home with me, you can. I don't have a problem with it," Kagome said with a defeated sigh and continued walking in the direction of her apartment.

* * *

The wounds in her heart were finally beginning to close. The scars would forever remain and the terrible memories of all the hurt that she had suffered would never leave her mind but finally she was able to deal with it.

Nara examined herself in the mirror for what seemed to be the fifth time. She lightly ran her fingertips against her cheek to make sure that there was no dust present in that area. When her finger came back with only the slightest bit of blush on it, Nara moved away from the mirror.

She attempted to convince herself that she looked fine. She had on a light pink, strapless dress that stopped about two inches above her knees. The accompanied the dress with a pair of pale pink high heeled shoes and a sliver heart shaped chain that hung around her neck. She had decided it best to leave her shoulder length hair loose and to wear as little makeup as possible.

She smiled and sat herself down on the sofa before glancing briefly at the clock hanging on the wall. She had finished getting ready just in time. She let out a breath that she didn't even know she was holding before leaning back to relax against the chair.

One of her fellow students at the community college, Yukio had asked her out on a date. Nara was going to reject his offer at first but when she observed him she found Yukio to be both cute and sweet at the same time. She had remembered him helping her when she was having a difficult time in her Literature class.

Nara had convinced herself that she didn't like Yukio in any romantic way; however she found her convictions to be wrong as soon as she had begun to get ready. Her heart raced with the thought of seeing him smiling down at her and her face reddened when she imagined herself walking so close beside him that she would feel his body heat.

She hadn't felt that way since Inuyasha and it made her feel warm and happy inside.

The knock on the door broke Nara out of her stream of thought. She ran her hand on her hair to make sure that no dark strands were sticking out and glanced at herself briefly in the mirror before hurrying to answer the door.

Yukio was standing before her in a red dress shirt and a pair of jeans. His brown hair hung in front of his eyes as it usually did and he held a warm smile on his face. Nara found herself turning crimson at the sight of him and lowered her face in hopes that he wouldn't see her expression.

"Hi," he said and Nara felt his eyes on her.

"Hi," she mumbled and raised her head to look at him. She gave him a small, pretty smile before shifting uncomfortably in her position.

"You look pretty, tonight," he complimented causing Nara's cheeks to burn even more.

"Arigatou."

"Well then," he began after an awkward silence between the two. "Shall we go?"

Nara nodded and followed him out the door.

* * *

Sango's scream echoed throughout the apartment complex startling many residents present there. She glowered angrily at her boyfriend before giving him a hard slap across the face. Her cheeks reddened and her eyes blazed with unleashed fury.

"I missed you too, but damn it Miroku, you don't have to grab there!" Sango screamed and put some distance between her and the college graduate.

"But you know that it's my favorite part of your body," Miroku said causing Sango's cheeks to turn crimson. There was a lecherous gleam in his eyes.

She avoided his gaze before speaking in a soft voice so that her two friends sitting not too far away from them wouldn't be able to hear. "Don't say such a thing in front of other people."

Kagome had walked over to the kitchen to get a glass of water for herself. Miroku and Sango were both talking in soft tones. By the look on Sango's face, Kagome guessed that Miroku was once again saying some inappropriate. Inuyasha looked at the couple expressionlessly before turning his attention back to his large text book. Kagome chuckled at the scene. She had missed the days when all four of them would get together. It was good being all together again.

Kagome walked back into the living room with a smile. Sango and Miroku were now sitting closely once more, whispering almost themselves. Kagome took her seat next to Inuyasha with her spirits high. Her previous annoyance with Inuyasha was now forgotten.

When she had arrived home she and Inuyasha and gotten into another argument with each other. After Sango had left to meet Miroku at the train station, Kagome bluntly told Inuyasha that she wasn't a child so she didn't need to be looked after like one. Inuyasha retaliated, insisting that in her state she needed supervision incase anything happened. Their argument continued until onward until there was a knock at the door. Kagome left Inuyasha yelling at her and answered the door. Sango and Miroku were there and the argument was put on pause.

'He still needs to apologize to me though,' Kagome thought and sipped on her water while watching him.

The evening went by quite smoothly. Miroku and Sango conversed with each other well except for the few times when he would touch and in appropriate area which would leave him with a red mark across his cheek. Miroku had gotten to touch Kagome's swollen belly twice. Both times Inuyasha looked as if he were about to murder Miroku. Miroku kept his hands to himself when it came to Kagome though, knowing that if his hands happened to touch anywhere other than Kagome's stomach, Inuyasha would beat him to a bloody pulp.

"Well Kagome, it has been fun. I'm going have even more _fun_ with Sango now," Miroku said and winked at his girlfriend. Sango looked as if she were about to hit him but instead she closed her eyes and slowly shook her head. Kagome laughed and waved at the couple as the exited the apartment.

She closed the door and began to move the empty cups off the coffee table. She moved them into the kitchen sink and was about to turn on the water to wash them when a pair of strong arms surrounded her body from behind. Kagome stilled her movements and tilted her head to look at the man standing behind her. He rested his chin on her shoulder before speaking.

"Finally, it was so damn noisy," Inuyasha whispered. His hot breath was puffing against her neck causing the hair to rise on her neck. Kagome forced her mind to come up with coherent thoughts before responding. There was no way she was going to give Inuyasha the pleasure of knowing that she couldn't think clearly when he was so close.

"How can you say that? They're our friends, remember."

"Keh, I know that but I wanted to be with you tonight," he responded and planted a kiss on her neck, "At least we're alone now."

His voice was deeper than usual, causing shivers to go down Kagome's spine. She attempted to regain her self control before gently pushing his hands off from her.

"Inuyasha, why do insist that I have a chaperone everywhere I go?" Kagome inquired and turned to face him. He looked surprised at first but that expression soon melted away to be replaced by a more serious one.

"How many times do I have to explain it to you, wench? 'Cause you're pregnant you need someone to be with you to make sure that nothing doesn't happen to you!"

His voice was louder than he intended but he definitely meant what he said. When he saw the anger blazing in Kagome's eyes he knew that there was going to be a repeat of four hours ago. Inuyasha knew that he had to explain himself in another way to prevent another argument with her. He ran his fingers through his long silver hair and let out a harsh breath before speaking to her.

"I can't be with you all the time, Kagome and when I'm not with you I worry for your safety. I wish I could protect you at all times but I can't so I sent Sango with you to make sure that you'd be safe..."

"I told you before I'm not a child I don't need…"

"Damn it, I'm not finished!" Inuyasha yelled, his patience snapping. Kagome glowered at him but kept silent. Inuyasha remained himself that if he shouted at her she'd become even angrier with him. He calmed himself before continuing, "I want to protect you, Kagome and if anything happened to you… I… I don't know what I'd do! When you go out on your own I sometimes wonder if you'd even come back! I just…"

Inuyasha seemed to be having a hard time expressing what he was feeling but Kagome was beginning to understand where he was coming from. Her face softened as she watched him try to explain himself. Without a second thought Kagome moved over to him and wrapped her arms around his torso, hugging him tightly.

"Gomen, Inuyasha. I didn't think about it in that way."

She relaxed when his arms came around her.

"But you have to trust me to take care of myself. Having someone follow me everywhere I went made me think that you saw me as helpless and that's why I snapped at you," Kagome explained.

Inuyasha didn't say anything after that but she knew that he was beginning to understand what she meant. Kagome knew that there was no way that he was going to apologize for his overprotection but being in his arms, and feeling his body heat made it okay. Kagome giggled when their child gave a lusty kick causing the couple to separate from each other.

"Guess he's happy that we've stopped fighting," Inuyasha commented and gently rubbed Kagome's swollen tummy. Kagome rested her hand over his large one and looked up him. She had so much love in her eyes that it caused a lump to form in Inuyasha's throat. He was still amazed that she could communicate her love for him without using words.

He leaned down and pressed his lips against hers. Inuyasha brought his hand up to caress the back of her neck and savored the taste of her lips. The kiss was short and when Kagome pulled away she was beaming up at him.

To hold her, to have her would be something that Inuyasha would forever cherish. By the look that Kagome was giving him he knew that she felt the same. Her hands moved down to entwine with his. Inuyasha grinned and squeezed her hand.

"I love you," Kagome whispered and rested her head on his chest.

She didn't need words to tell him that. By simply looking at her, Inuyasha knew how she felt.

"Aishiteru, Kagome," Inuyasha admitted and held her close.

* * *

A/N: That's the last chapter of Betrothed peoples. Wow, I'm getting sad…. Anyway I still have to write the Epilogue so there will be more Betrothed for you guys. It should be up soon and I actually mean it this time since an Epilogue is always the shortest part and the easiest! I can't wait to see what you guys think about how ends. Anywho tell me what you think of this chappie in a review please and thank you for all the people who have supported me with this story so far! Oh and before I forget;

**Happy New Year to everyone! I wish you all the best in 2008!**

_**Kisho-**__ one who knows his own mind _

_**Yukio-**__ gets what he wants, God will nourish _

Neogirl


	29. Epilogue

Disclaimer: For the last time. Inuyasha is not mine.

Betrothed

Epilogue

* * *

Inuyasha looked up from his son when Kagome's scream echoed through the house. Little Kiyoshi took his attention away briefly from his teddy bear and titled his head to the side and stared in the direction from which the sound had come from before giving his toy his full attention again.

Kagome stepped into their bedroom, a white towel wrapped around her dripping, wet body. She stood at the door and glared at Inuyasha. Inuyasha was looking at her with raised eyebrows, wondering what caused her to stare at him like that.

"You used out all the hot water," Kagome said and scowled. Inuyasha chuckled and watched with amusement as Kagome walked back into the bathroom with a bundle of clothes in her hands.

Inuyasha turned his attention back to their one year old son, Kiyoshi. He was currently chewing on the ear of his red teddy bear. Inuyasha had received comments from both friends and strangers that his son was one of the cutest babies that they had ever laid eyes on. Inuyasha often scoffed, telling them that he did not want anyone referring to his son as 'cute'.

Kiyoshi had gotten his appearance mostly from his father. He had Inuyasha's sliver hair and the same golden complexion that Inuyasha had. The only thing that Kagome had seemed to have given her son in genetics appeared to be his eyes. They were a light, hazel. Kagome had often said that if Kiyoshi had somehow ended up having his father's striking, golden eyes then without a doubt he would have been seen as a mini Inuyasha.

As if sensing that he was being watched Kiyoshi moved his eyes away from his toy and stared at his father. He smiled and pushed himself to his feet before clumsily walking over to Inuyasha who was sitting at the edge of the bed. Inuyasha picked up his son and threw him up in the air before catching him again. Kiyoshi screamed and giggled at his father's actions.

Kagome came back in the room then. She was wearing a white shirt and a short, blue skirt. She came over to her son and kissed his cheek.

"Inuyasha, mama called. She's expecting us over by the next hour," Kagome said and lightly rubbed her son's head. "Nara's already there."

After Kagome had finished college they had moved into a three bedroom house that was closer to where their families were. Kagome's mother was generally pleased over the idea for after Kiyoshi was born she had commented that she would like to see more of her grandson more. They lived only fifteen minutes away from the Higurashi shrine and a half an hour away from Sesshoumaru.

Unlike Mrs. Higurashi, Sesshoumaru showed no interest in Inuyasha and Kagome living near to him. Rin however was ecstatic. She loved her new baby cousin and whenever they visited, she never kept the child out of her sight. Sesshoumaru didn't get a particularly good start with Kiyoshi. After holding the child for only a minute or so, Kiyoshi gripped on to his uncle's long hair and refused to let go. Kagome eventually got the baby to release Sesshoumaru's hair but little Kiyoshi ended up with a fistful of sliver hair in his tiny hand. Inuyasha found the entire incident to be hilarious. Sesshoumaru simply stared at the baby who was giggling and holding on to the hair that was once connected to Sesshoumaru's scalp, before making his way up to his office. He didn't come down after that.

Inuyasha picked up Kiyoshi and began walking out of the room after a long period of comfortable silence between the couple.

"I'll give him a bath," Inuyasha said. Kagome looked at Inuyasha in awe as he walked out of the bedroom. Was Inuyasha actually offering to help her? Sure he was a good father, when it came to playing with his son and occasionally feeding Kiyoshi but from what Kagome knew, he didn't participate in things such as changing diapers and giving baths after Kiyoshi had soaked Inuyasha once time after receiving a bath.

Kagome threw herself down on the bed and raised her hand to stare at the silver band, along with the diamond engagement ring that she both wore on her ring finger. After only being married for two months, Kagome still found herself staring at the wedding ring on her finger. Inuyasha had commented that after living with her for two years, it felt that they were married anyway.

Being married, and having Kiyoshi made Kagome feel that their relationship was finally complete. There was nothing more that they could do except for love each other and work their hardest to make their new life together work. Currently things were going well with the couple. Kagome had recently started working at a veterinary clinic and Inuyasha worked at a small medical center. Kagome always found herself smiling when she thought of her family and she could barely wait for the future where she knew more happiness awaited them.

She watched as the light caught the silver band, making the metal glow. Kagome giggled girlishly and brought her hand down to cover her mouth. If Inuyasha had seen her now, Kagome would have guessed that he would think she was loosing her mind but she couldn't help feeling happy, and bubbly inside, especially after all that had happened.

Things were going so well in fact that Kagome had even reconciled with Nara. After a year of barely keeping contact, Nara finally decided that she was ready to become close to both Inuyasha and Kagome again. At first it was a bit awkward, since Nara hadn't had contact with the couple for quite sometime. Kagome was often nervous when it came to Nara seeing her with Inuyasha, afraid that it would hurt her cousin again. Nara however had moved on by that time, leaving the conversations to be more comfortable. Nara too had found little Kiyoshi to be adorable and had often offered to baby-sit the toddler when both Kagome and Inuyasha were busy.

One cue, Kiyoshi ran clumsily into the bedroom both naked and laughing. Inuyasha followed soon after with a white towel in his hand, dashing after the one year old. He effortlessly picked the child off the ground and wrapped him in the towel.

Kagome watched with amusement as Inuyasha attempted to put on Kiyoshi's clothes. Kiyoshi was kicking his feet and constantly shifting. One time he even grabbed on to Inuyasha's hair, temporarily preventing Inuyasha from being able to move. After many struggles, Inuyasha had managed to get his son in his clothes.

Kagome smiled as she watched her small family together. Without thinking, Kagome moved over to where Inuyasha was and tiptoed so that she could deliver a kiss on his cheek. Inuyasha stared at her, baffled by her sudden affectionate gesture. Kagome simply beamed up at her husband before leaning lightly on his shoulder. The couple might have stayed like that for a long time, if it were not for their son.

The one year old struggled in his father's grasp, indicating that he wished to be put down. As soon as Inuyasha rested the toddler on the ground, Kiyoshi made a beeline to his favorite toy. Kagome then wrapped her arms around Inuyasha's waist and hugged his body close to hers. Inuyasha responded by moving his arms around Kagome's tiny body. Kagome grinned when she felt the moisture of his lips on the top of her head.

"What's with you today?" she heard him say as he ran circles on her back with his fingertips.

"I'm just happy today, that's all," Kagome whispered and smiled up at her husband. He raised one eyebrow at her and scowled but Kagome knew that he felt the same way.

"Keh," he said and moved down to kiss her lightly.

After being through so much together, the couple had still managed to make it through together. Inuyasha hadn't given up on her, even though she had given up on him after finding out about his arrangement with Nara. He stuck with her through it, despite the fact that she kept things from him and often lost faith in him, Inuyasha stayed with her. She knew that no matter what would happen between them, she would forever stay with the man holding her in his arms. She loved him with all her heart. It was so powerful that she found that she could never stay away, never leave him. By looking in his eyes, Kagome knew that he felt the same.

His eyes were once again whispering the words of love to her again. Kagome always found it amazing that he could tell her how he felt without words. The couple stared into each others eyes until their lips connected once again with a fiery passion.

Inuyasha moved his hand over Kagome's neck, while he tightened the other arm around her waist in order to bring Kagome as close as humanly possible.

Inuyasha pulled away from Kagome and looked at her sometime. His attention then turned to look at Kiyoshi. The toddler was currently clumsily walking across to the couple. Kagome noticed him and bent down so she could pick up their son. She kissed the one year old on his cheek and smiled when he too planted a slobbery kiss on her cheek. Words itself could not describe how much he loved her. He was about to lean in to give her another kiss but Kagome seemed to have caught sight of the time for she let out a soft scream and began running out of the bedroom.

Kiyoshi seemed to enjoy the running for his laugher increased. Kagome whipped her head around to look at Inuyasha who was still standing in the same spot.

"We have to go, now! If we're late mama is going to kill us! Come on!" Kagome urged and sifted her old on Kiyoshi who was now tugging lightly on Kagome's long, dark hair.

Without a second glance Kagome dashed out of the room and Inuyasha heard the closing of the front door before he could even move from the spot in which he was in. The sound of Kagome yelling for him to hurry up was heard all the way from in their bedroom.

Inuyasha stood frozen in one spot, still trying to figure out what just happened. A loud screech from Kagome brought him back to his senses .He shook his head and followed after Kagome. Being with her prevented from ever being bored, especially when she had her urgent moments. He felt as if his love for her was growing everyday and seeing her behave in certain ways always made him thank Kami that he had such a woman with him.

Kagome yelled his name once more, this time he swore that he heard the car engine start. He grinned and shook his head. He was definitely lucky to have her.

* * *

A/N: That's the end of Betrothed people and I am happy to say that I am so happy that I wrote this story. It was a big challenge for me because I was so not used to writing such... depressing stories and it was my first non high school fic. Anyways I would like to thank each and every person who has supported me in this story. I would like to especially thank those who stuck with me from all the way back in 2006! I hope you all have enjoyed reading this story as much as I have enjoyed writing it. Well with that final note I would like to say thank you once more and I hope that you leave me one final review if you can, to tell me what you think.

Oh yeah, I'm starting a new story. It's called Little House, incase anyone wants to read it.

Neogirl


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